Coming Home
The Canada Flag Granary:
How a painting of an iconic image has come home from Ottawa to be sold at local auction
Words by Sharon Krushel | Photography submitted
Since moving up to Peace River in 1982, I’ve delighted in driving our northern highways. On my way home on Highway 49, I smile in anticipation as I descend into the Little Smoky River valley because I know I’ll soon be welcomed by the Canada flag granary. Deep sigh. I’m almost home.
I often pull over to photograph the beloved landmark, whether surrounded by snow, sprouting crops or canola in full bloom. The prairie wind refreshes my breath, the granary refreshes my good will and joy of living here and my curiosity ponders how this patriotic painting came to be.
The current owners, Daniel and Christine Aubin, led me to the story.
When Joseph Johnson owned the land, he built a granary and painted it red. In 1978, his son, Gilbert, decided to paint it white. When Gilbert’s 15-year-old brother, Marcel, came home from school, there was still a 10-foot strip of red on the front.
“Instead of painting the rest of it white, we could paint the Canadian Flag on it,” said Marcel at the time. And, they did. Then, they repainted it about a decade later.
In the near 50 years since, the granary has caught the attention of countless travellers on their journey north.
“It makes me laugh to see the granary image on all kinds of stuff, including a tissue box,” said Marcel. “We saw a picture of it displayed in the Grande Prairie Dream Home one year. My brother saw it on a DōnaBōna Card at the rest stop near Valleyview and bought a bunch of them.”
In 2017, I printed a photo I took of the granary and framed it in barn wood because the local library was hosting a Peace River Art Club exhibit called “O Canada!”
Chrystia Freeland, who grew up in Peace River, requested a painting of my photo for her office to remind her of home. I ordered a custom 43”x 48” stretched blank canvas and commissioned Shannon Brown as the artist.
“It was an honour to be chosen to paint such an iconic image,” said Brown. “I understand why it’s called Coming Home. A lot of people in the north see it that way.”
For eight years, Shannon’s painting portrayed the colourful charm of the Peace Region in Freeland’s office in Ottawa.
Now, the Coming Home painting has come home to Peace River.
Silent Auction
As a fundraiser for the Peace River Art Club, the Coming Home painting’s starting bid is $1,500. The ART HUB in Peace River is open Thursday to Saturday from 1pm to 5pm. The painting will be awarded to the highest bidder at the end of the art gala on October 30.
About the Artist
Shannon Brown moved to Peace River at age 13. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and a B.Ed. from Concordia in Edmonton.
A member of the Peace River Art Club, she painted murals for several local businesses.
In 2017, she was awarded a Town of Peace River contract to paint a mural on the south wall of Boston Pizza on Main Street [pictured above].
“It was fun! I’m such an extrovert, and what I love about doing public art, is that you get to talk to people in the community, and it feels more like a collaboration,” said Brown. “Anything I can do for my hometown feels good.”
Today, she paints murals in Edmonton and teaches art at Allendale Junior High.
To see Sharon’s photo and Shannon’s mural, go to DonaBonaCards.com and search “O Canada!” and “Peace Mural.”
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