Helen McLean

• Name — Helen McLean • Birthplace — Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Died — 7 February 2017 • Place of death — Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada • Occupation — Author, painter • Known for — Details From a Larger Canvas

Helen McLean was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1927. As a teenager, in 1940, she studied under Dorothy Stevens at an art class arranged by the Women's Art Association. She attended the University of Toronto, where she earned a B.A., and gained an M.A at the University of Calgary. She married Ross McLean, and had three children. McLean became an artist, writer, art critic, and teacher. She wrote two autobiographical books, Sketching from Memory: A Portrait of My Mother (1994) and Details from a Larger Canvas (2001). Her second book describes her struggles against the expectations she had set for herself, or that had been set for a woman by her family or society. Her 1998 novel Of all the Summers describes the experiences of a woman, Rachel, during different periods of her life. Rachel is now in mid-life and is rediscovering herself. The lyrical novel recalls her earlier relationships and work. McLean's 2003 novel Significant Things was short-listed for the 2004 Commonwealth Writers Prize Best Book Award, Caribbean and Canada Region. McLean died in Etobicoke, Ontario on February 7, 2017.