Mary Evelyn Wrinch (1877-1969)

Artist

Born in Essex, England, Mary Wrinch immigrated to Canada with her mother when she was eight following her father’s death. She had an extensive education in art that included studies at the Central Ontario School of Art (now OCADU) in Toronto, the Grosvenor School of Art in London, and the Art Student’s League in New York.

Despite her travels, Wrinch kept a studio in Toronto and was well connected to that art scene. Her early career is noted for miniature portraits, which allowed her to earn a living as an artist; this was uncommon for women at the time. She cleverly marketed her work so that people knew that they were being painted from life, which helped to set her work apart.

After 1928, she turned to printmaking, where she experimented with design and later colour using the cut linoleum method. PAMA’s collection has both types of her prints, including her earlier black and white and the later coloured prints.

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