Dear Editor,
I am delighted with the planning and execution of my work in the Ashcroft Library. The work was painted during the years 1973 to 1976.
Looking at them today they are a reminder of the energy I had in those years to paint what I felt about the village in the mountains of the Thompson River. The setting was so dramatic and the peace and tranquility in those lanes and streets charmed, enchanted me.
I had never seen anything like Ashcroft’s older section in any of the places I had known. Yet it never occurred to me that I was painting them for posterity. The atmosphere of that time may be gone, but the memory will remain forever with me.
I have been asked about the signatures on the paintings. Bastow was my surname then. It was a time when women married and took the surname of their husbands. For the last 42 years my professional name remains Darlington. I consider it a tribute to the man who shared my life in every way, giving his time, skills, and loyalty to me in every way. Ross Darlington was a remarkable man.
Jack Bastow taught school in the area. His photographic skills remain a pleasant memory for some students. Ross Darlington died in July, 1997. Jack Bastow died in June 2022. He reached the grand old age of 94.
Time changes everything and everyone. But the memory of those we loved remains.
Esther Darlington
Ashcroft, B.C.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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