Aleen Aked

Aleen Aked (1907-2003)

Florida was her home for many years. It was in Sarasota, Florida where she went to art school, and it was at the Ringling Museum of Art where she spent some of her most enjoyable moments.

Though born in England, she was three when the family moved to Canada where her father prospered. But, at twenty the dramatic focus of her life changed because of her father's health problems. The family settled in Florida for the winter months.

The welcome embrace of the Sarasota warmth and quality of living gave her aesthetic joy and inspiration. Life about her was an orchestra of vitality and gay and lively tunes and she took part in the activities of the artistic sensibility of the community for over fifteen years. She was a member of the Southern States Art League and a member of the Sarasota Art Association where she served as Secretary - Treasurer for many years.

In addition to the artistic happenings of the Florida community she was a woman of diversified talents: a master golfer (receiving many awards), a collector of vintage cars, and an active participant in the "Players of Sarasota, Florida Little Theatre." She is, nonetheless, remembered today primarily for her numerous paintings of popular Florida scenes, images characterized by fluid brushwork and a colorful palette translating the effects of natural light into the poetry of color.

Canada has honored her, too, with a museum exhibit and recognition for her artistic energy including paintings of palm trees, the garden of the Sarasota Museum trellised gardens, and the silent grandeur of working men in the fields and the shacks where they lived.

To quote from the catalogue of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery Museum Exhibit in Oshawa, Ontario in 1989, "Hers was a life filled for over eighty years with service to family and community and creative achievement".

Courtesy of: Mimi Cohen, The Marbella Gallery – New York, NY