Andrade, Edna

Edna Andrade was an artist who kept regular residence on Cranberry Island, completing many of her paintings on Great Cranberry. The following is an excerpt from the booklet “Artists of Cranberry Island” by Wini Smart, giving a personal look of Edna life, personality and involvement on the island.

"Edna Andrade first visited Great Cranberry Island as a guest of [the artist] George Bunker in 1980, the year George completed his new studio on the island. She met George at the Philadelphia College of Art, where they were both on the faculty. After 1983 she continued to accompany him to Maine, and was a constant companion in his last years. When George died in 1991, he willed her the use of the studio during her lifetime.

"I interviewed Edna in 1999 in George’s former place, which, by that time, she had converted to a house/studio. A lean, stylish woman, Edna was full of vitality and enthusiasm for life and her work. The house and studio were immaculate, a trait carried out in her painting. Photos of abstract paintings, in elaborate precise lines, covered a table. The discipline involved in teaching classes in design, as well as a lifelong interest in geometry, optical effects, and Islamic patterns have decisively influenced her habits and painting style.

"In 1941 Edna married architect Preston Andrade, and often helped him with architectural renderings, which had to be done very precisely. That experience is carried out in her work. Her paintings are mostly done in Acrylic or serigraph prints. When I visited, she was doing huge pencil drawings and paintings of Maine rocks and ledges in precise detail, but keeping her abstract technique.

"Edna was born in January, 1917 in Portsmouth, Virginia, and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in 1933-1938. She was awarded two Cresson European traveling Scholarships, the first to travel three months in Europe, the second to Egypt, Greece, and Italy. Edna taught at the Philadelphia College of Art from 1957 to 1982, and was also Professor of Art at Temple’s Tyler School of Art for one year during that time. She is a member of the Philadelphia Print Club, Artist’s Equity Association, American Color Print Society, and the Colorado Art Association. Her work is in countless collections and she exhibited in national shows from 1965 to 1986.

"Edna wants to be remembered through her work, and wryly remarked, 'I hope they will love it enough to keep it dry and dusted off.' When asked what was her best work, she replied, 'Well, my latest of course!' Having relinquished her right to use the house, she no longer comes to Cranberry Island, but rather stays in her apartment in Philadelphia.”

Andrade passed away in 2008 in Philadelphia. She is remembered fondly as a teacher, artist and community member, with several funds left behind in her name to support emerging artists. On Cranberry, she contributed to a vibrant community of artists on the island. To learn more, look through our related archival material or take a glance at the “Artists of Cranberry Island” booklet.