Helen McLean (1927 – February 7, 2017) was a Canadian author and painter, known for her autobiographical ''Details From a Larger Canvas''.

Biography

Helen McLean was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, in 1927. As a teenager, in 1940, she studied under

Dorothy Stevens Dorothy Stevens (2 September 1888 – 5 June 1966) was a Canadian etcher, portrait painter, printmaker, illustrator and teacher, perhaps the most accomplished Canadian etcher of her day. She is known for the prints she made of factory workers dur ...

at an art class arranged by the Women's Art Association. She attended the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, where she earned a B.A., and gained an M.A at the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

. She married Ross McLean, and had three children. McLean became an artist, writer, art critic, and teacher. She wrote two autobiographical books, ''Sketching from Memory: A Portrait of My Mother'' (1994) and ''Details from a Larger Canvas'' (2001). Her second book describes her struggles against the expectations she had set for herself, or that had been set for a woman by her family or society. Her 1998 novel ''Of all the Summers'' describes the experiences of a woman, Rachel, during different periods of her life. Rachel is now in mid-life and is rediscovering herself. The lyrical novel recalls her earlier relationships and work. McLean's 2003 novel ''Significant Things'' was short-listed for the 2004 Commonwealth Writers Prize Best Book Award, Caribbean and Canada Region. McLean died in

Etobicoke, Ontario Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamation of Toronto, amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 17 ...

on February 7, 2017.

Paintings

McLean's paintings have been exhibited widely in Canada. They are held in private and corporate collections that include the Bank of Canada in Ottawa. Her portrait of

Margaret Laurence Jean Margaret Laurence (née Wemyss; July 18, 1926 – January 5, 1987) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, and is one of the major figures in Canadian literature. She was also a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-pr ...

hangs in the Margaret Laurence Home in

Neepawa Neepawa is a town in Manitoba, Canada located on the Yellowhead Highway at the intersection with Highway 5. its population was 5,685. Neepawa was incorporated as a town in 1883. It is bordered by the Municipality of North Cypress – Langford and ...

, Manitoba.

Publications

McLean published articles, essays and reviews in ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...

'', ''

Brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

'', ''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'', ''

Books in Canada ''Books in Canada'' was a monthly magazine that reviewed Canadian literature, published in print form between 1971 and 2008. In its heyday it was the most influential literary magazine in Canada. Foundation One of the co-founders of ''Books in Ca ...

'', the ''

Literary Review of Canada The ''Literary Review of Canada'' is a Canadian magazine that publishes ten times a year in print and online. The magazine features essays and reviews of books on political, cultural, social, and literary topics, as well as original Canadian poet ...

'', ''Room of One's Own'' and ''Ars Medica''. McLean's published books include: * * * (autobiography) * *

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, Helen 1927 births 2017 deaths Canadian women novelists 20th-century Canadian novelists Canadian literary critics Canadian women literary critics Canadian women essayists 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian painters 21st-century Canadian painters University of Toronto alumni University of Calgary alumni 21st-century Canadian novelists Writers from Toronto Artists from Toronto 20th-century Canadian women artists 21st-century Canadian women artists 20th-century Canadian essayists 21st-century Canadian essayists