Mystery Painting
Please help me to identify the artist
I'm trying to identify the artist and history behind the following painting:
It is an oil painting on masonite, approximately 27.5 inches square. It is in desperate need of professional cleaning and also needs some minor repairs.
The scene shows a woman accompanied by a World War Two era RCAF Flight Sergeant. They are walking along the lower end of Granville Street, in Summerside, PEI. The painting has the viewer looking east towards the backyards of houses situated along the south side of Hanover Street.
The artist did not sign his or her name. However, the letters "LMcL" were scratched into the dried paint in the bottom left-hand corner.
My grandfather gave this painting to me several years ago. He had actually found it in his garage while doing some housecleaning - it was sitting either on top of or behind his woodpile! He does not remember how or when he came into possession of it but believes he likely owned it since the war.
There is an immediate family connection to the painting, as the scene shows the back end of the house my grandfather's family lived in on Hanover Street (I originally stated Harvard Street: my apologies for the error). The one with the three windows on the second storey, surrounded by yellow trim, belonged to his parents. The three windows are part of a sunroom that was built for my great-uncle, who spent two years bed-ridden from spinal tuberculosis.
There may be another family connection. My grandfather didn't know many of his relatives on his father's side of the family. However, he did know and often spoke of Uncle Louis and Aunt Agnes from Indian River. Louis MacLellan was a blacksmith and his wife, Agnes Hickey, was my grandfather's great aunt. I wonder if the "LMcL" stands for "Louis McLellan" or, perhaps, another close MacLellan relative.
Anyway, if any Island readers of this site are familiar with the artist or the painting style, please let me know. I would love to know the name of the artist.
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