POPPIES
watercolour by Amy Janeway
Vancouver, 1966
AMY JANEWAY, nee CAREY, was born in 1920, to Brigadier General Arthur Carey and his wife, Eva Bradley. Amy (nicknamed Susan or Sue) was born in Norfolk, England and placed the youngest of 7 children, Basil (Man), Barbara, John, Jessamy, Mary and Christopher (Toff). When Amy was 7, her father retired to Mexico, where Amy went to school, becoming proficient in both Spanish and English. She loved art, and won consecutive first prizes in Art Class. Her mother Eva, like to paint, as did two of her sisters, and I have included a FAMILY page that has renderings by all three sisters, and their mother Eva.

In her late teens, Amy came to Canada, to continue her education, and went to the University of British Columbia. She discontinued her studies in her second year, to contribute to the war effort, and took her first job, working for the British Embassy in Washington. In 1944, her fluency in Spanish led to a move to the British Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, where she met her future husband, Cyril Janeway. After their marriage in 1948, Amy joined Cyril and his 4 year old daughter, Phyllis, in Maracaibo, Venezuela. They had two children, Mary and Christopher. In about 1956, Amy started to paint again, and her very early works are shown in the VENEZUELA page.

In 1961, the Janeway family moved to Vancouver, B.C., and not long after Amy started attending the Vancouver School of Art, where she studied under such teachers as Jack Shadbolt and Gordon Smith. After graduating from Art School, her work continued to improve as she took long trips in her Boler compact trailer, into the Rockies to camp, draw, paint and get inspiration for her work. Amy loves nature and it shows in the depths and sophistication that appeared in her work during this period, paintings of which are on the CANADA page.

This web site is dedicated to Amy and a gift for her grandchildren, Kate and Matthew.