profile by Trevor Carolan The Poetry in W h a t W e D o " A Portrait of North Shore Painter Unity Bainbridge t h e larger m y s t e r y o f o u r h u m a n the results w e r e an e x q u i s i t e p o r t f o lio of p o r t r a i t images, chiefly m o d e l s and local c o m m u n i t y p e r s o n a l i t i e s f r o m V a n c o u v e r ' s t h e n W e s t End b o a r d i n g h o u s e district. S h o w n at the important Canadian National E x h i b i t i o n s o f t h e 1930s, they are n o w a m o n g the m o s t sought-after of h e r w o r k s . C o m p o s e d in thin o i l and pencil o n manila p a p e i -- a thrifty, depression-era medium also favoured by Emily C a r r -- t h e y r e s o n a t e w i t h a haunting freshness and lean e c o n o m y that is equal parts B l o o m s b u r y b o h e m i a n , as it is t h e indigenous, jewel-like V a n c o u v e r - N e w W o r l d melange that Varley, C a n a d a ' s m a s t e r p o e t - i n - p a i n t h i m s e l f was then s t r u g gling t o a r t i c u l a t e . Inspired by h e r w o r k ' s success in T o r o n t o , Bainbridge s t r u c k o u t o n h e r o w n early, visiting t h e holiday w a t e r i n g h o l e s of t h e e a s t e r n elite, w h e r e she was r e t a i n e d t o paint the Van H o m e railway family. D u r i n g the w a r she also travelled t o O t t a w a , linking up w i t h f o r m e r Lynn Valley a r t i s t M o l l y L a m b B o b a k and Unity Bainbridge Photo by llona The Wind A r o u n d the O l d Slosh C h u r c h , 1972, by Unity Bainbidge I here's a phrase that appears h e r e and t h e r e in the w o r k of l o n g t i m e N o r t h Shore painter Unity Bainbridge. " H i s t o r y m u s t be left intact," she r e c o r d s in h e r b o o k s and in t h e marginalia a c c o m p a n y i n g c e r tain of h e r p i e c e s -- a n u n d e r s t a n d a b l e s e n t i m e n t given h e r lifelong d e d i c a t i o n t o d o c u m e n t i n g t h e p e o p l e , places, and o r g a n i c l u x u r i ance of this r i b b o n edge of t h e w o r l d w e k n o w as C a n a d a ' s Pacific c o a s t . e x p e r i e n c e . O n l y t h e n is it w o r t h keeping intact, surviving the 2 0 t h c e n t u r y ' s hallmark f o r c e s of f r a g m e n t a t i o n and d i s i n t e g r a t i o n . U n i t y Bainbridge can be r e l i e d u p o n t o seek r e l e v a n c e in the o r d i nary magic of the w o r l d . "I've benefited by being a n o b o d y all my life." s h e relates. "I've b e e n quietly k n o w n . I guess, b e c a u s e I c h o s e t o keep a lot of my o w n w o r k . Y o u s e e , I was taught that y o u d o n ' t paint t o sell; y o u paint because y o u ' r e c r a z y a b o u t s o m e t h i n g and w a n t t o k e e p t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f it n e a r y o u . T h a t ' s w h a t Picasso u n d e r s t o o d w h e n he s p e n t his later years t r y i n g t o reacq u i r e his o w n w o r k . It's hype that d e s t r o y s y o u . even t h o u g h s o m e artists thrive o n it. That's t h e thing w i t h us; w e artists rub up against each o t h e r like sandpaper." B o r n in V i c t o r i a in 1916 and s c h o o l e d in V a n c o u v e r and t h e O k a n a g a n . Bainbridge d e c i d e d o n an e m a n c i p a t e d life f o r herself. "I just f o u n d myself w a n t i n g t o paint," she H a i l e d as an a p o s t l e of Emily C a r r a n d still defiantly active as an artist in spite o f d e c a d e s o f institutional neglect. B a i n b r i d g e c o n t i n u e s t o w o r k f r o m her celebrated, impossibly e c l e c t i c . A m b l e s i d e s t u d i o . Impishly surfing a wave o f revived c o l l e c t o r i n t e r e s t in h e r w o r k , a t ' t h e age of 8 0 she n o w finds herself " d i s c o v e r e d " by W e s t Vancouver's resident colony of affluent p o p stars and i n v e s t m e n t b r o k e r s w h o d i s c r e t e l y add h e r influential p o r t r a i t s a n d landscapes f r o m t h e 1930s t o t h e i r c o l l e c t i o n s o f C a r r , S h a d b o l t . and M a t i s s e . A l l in all, t h e m i l l e n n i u m is shaping up as a cracking g o o d time for the painter M a x M a y n a r d p r o c l a i m e d 6 0 years ago as " a t a l e n t e d girl w i t h a real future ahead." T h e a r c h - p o e t of the 1930s. A u d e n himself c a u t i o n e d t h o u g h , that f o r h i s t o r y t o r e m a i n meaningful, it must be s h a r e d as t r u t h ; that f o r an artist, t h e r e m u s t be relevance in his o r her w o r k -- s o m e illumination into explains. "I was 16, 17. and h e a r d a b o u t the V a n c o u v e r S c h o o l o f A r t . I hod t o go t h e r e . M y father said, ' Y o u ' l l n e v e r e a r n a living f r o m art,' but I g o t a s c h o l a r s h i p my first y e a r and managed to graduate during the depression." " A t s c h o o l w e w e r e n ' t really b r o u g h t up o n landscape b e c a u s e w e w o r k e d i n d o o r s . " B a i n b r i d g e adds. " W e t r a i n e d m o s t l y in p o r t r a i t a n d f i g u r e -- t h e classical d i s c i p l i n e s -- although w e had p o t t e r y , s c u l p t u r e , a r c h i t e c t u r e , textile design, and b l o c k p r i n t i n g ; a bit of e v e r y t h i n g , and the c o m p e t i t i o n was fierce. I r e m e m b e r sitting beside E d [E.J ] H u g h e s w h i l e he w o r k e d o n his p o r t r a i t s -- w e all sat f o r each o t h e r -- a n d w e ' d swap works." B a i n b r i d g e d r e w a t t e n t i o n for h e r b r a v u r a p o r t r a i t u r e . U n d e r the t e a c h ing influence o f C h a r l e s S c o t t and F r e d Varley, the m o o d , style, t o n e , and t r e a t m e n t feel of L o n d o n ' s C o u r t a u l d S c h o o l t o o k r o o t in h e r w o r k , and