ECU 100 | Janey Adams Paints the Music of Her Memories

When Janey Adams walked through the hallways of the Vancouver School of Art (VSA) from 1962 to 1965, they looked different from what we know of Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) now—it was a much smaller school that shared the building with the Vancouver Vocational Institute on Pender Street. However, the thread of creative exploration and curiosity that has flourished since 1925 remains alive and well here at the university over 60 years later.

From her Granville Island studio, Janey recalls her years at the VSA in the 1960s. The school’s small size made everyone feel close, both students and faculty alike. Among her contemporaries were architect and Chinatown activist Joe Wai, as well as abstract painter Milly Ristvedt and many of her instructors were prolific artists, including Jack Shadbolt, Orville Fisher, Roy Kiyooka, Reg Holmes and Don Jarvis.

“One day, we were all in Jack Shadbolt's class, and there was sort of one main hallway going down the old Hamilton Street building, when there was a big noise out in the hall,” says Janey. “I stepped into the hall — and there, trotting toward me, was a Palomino horse. I couldn’t believe it. And it disappeared into Reg Holmes' studio, which was next to Jack's, as I remember.”

Art school in the 1960s was a horse of a different colour.

“I think it was Reg Holmes' idea that he would create a world of Picasso's Blue Period. So, he'd hired somebody in a Harlequin outfit to sit on the horse. And then of course, the horse didn't do what it was supposed to do or did what it was supposed to do and nobody was prepared for the mopping up after.”

Janey’s stories of this period reflect unique moments in not only the history of the university but also a deeper insight into the people who have shaped ECU into what it is today. Influences from instructors like Shadbolt and Kiyooka have left lasting marks on students, shaping artistic practices that continue to this day.

“Roy was very influential on his students, and he used to sit on a stool and he would read us poetry in the classroom. He would conduct with one hand as he read. He had a very low-key, wonderful voice, and he was very methodical,” remembers Janey. “He'd read us the poems—one was William Carlos Williams, called The Red Wheelbarrow, and we all painted that in class that time. He kept us moving, working very quickly and painting everything very quickly, without getting tied up on anything.”

For Janey, the connections she made and skills she learned at VSA became integral to her work, grounding her as she developed her artistic voice. She stayed in touch with other alums from her class, such as Michael Morris, and even travelled to London, England, with him so they could both attend the Slade School of Fine Art. During her time there, Janey honed her techniques with William Townsend at Slade while working at the Inchball School of Design. Compared to the tight-knit group of artists she was used to in Vancouver, England felt ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘formal,’ she recounts.

After her time in England, she settled in Montreal, Quebec, where she further developed her practice, creating pieces inspired by the beauty of the natural world. When she moved back to Vancouver in 1991 from Montreal, she brought back her international training and influence on Vancouver’s cultural scene. During her return, she met up with Jack Shadbolt, an instructor who had greatly influenced her work while she was at the VSA and visited him in his final years.

“You never forget your teachers. Some years later, when I came back to Vancouver, I went to visit Jack, and we had a lovely time. I went out to his studio on Capitol Hill, out in Burnaby, in his beautiful home,” she details. “I got to sit with Jack for about an hour, and that's the last big time I was with him to rehash our three or four years together.”

In more recent years, Janey has found herself inspired by another alum and former instructor at the VSA, B.C. Binning was most well-known for his early and witty approaches to abstract art and architectural influences. As a child, Janey had the opportunity to meet the artist and his wife, and visit Binning’s studio, becoming enthralled by his paintings and designs early on. In 2023, she held an exhibition at the West Vancouver Art Museum titled Order From Chaos: Jane Adams and B.C. Binning, which showcased her work inspired by Binning, alongside his own pieces from the gallery.

As we talk, Janey is surrounded in her small, brightly lit studio by new colourful abstract paintings sparked by her mother, Jean Coulthard’s, work as a composer and music educator. Janey’s family legacy is one of creativity and imagination, having been a part of the Canadian arts and music scene for generations.

“I got the idea from a pair of piano pieces called Image Astral and Image Terrestre. Astral struck me and I thought, I would like to try and visualize that piece,” says Janey. “It's got a lot of noise and a lot of kind of universe feeling to it. It's about the universe and the vast expanses that we know nothing about, but it's the way the music presents that is what I wanted to capture.”

Jean, who passed away in 2000, was one of Western Canada’s most prolific composers of the 20th century. She worked from her home studio, called The Contented House, and was well-established in the Vancouver music and arts scene. According to Janey, she was very involved with the Vancouver Women's Musical Club, now the Vancouver Westcoast Music Society, which helped shape Vancouver’s cultural identity, attracting artists and musicians from around the world.

In Spring 2026, Janey’s new music-inspired pieces will be on view at the Ferry Building Gallery in West Vancouver. Until then, she’ll continue to paint from her cozy Granville Island studio, exploring the intersections of sound, colour, and memory that continue to shape her creative life. You can follow her on Instagram to keep up-to-date with her work.

For more information about ECU 100 centennial celebrations, upcoming events and stories, visit our webpage.