Eleanor
Milne's first love in art was book illustration, but early on she realized
that the market for such work was quite limited, and she turned her talents
to the medium of sculpture. Milne completed woodcarving courses with Sylvia
Daoust at l'École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal in 1948,
and by 1949 was already working on a commission for a monumental group,
Our Lady of Fatima, for the Jesuit Fathers in
Beaconsfield. Her studies with Ivan Mestrovic at Syracuse University from
1950–52 expanded her knowledge of architectural sculpture as well as
Romanesque and Gothic art.
Milne's
sculpture prior to the Parliament Buildings was broad in range. Religious
imagery was prominent, as were commissions for homes and portraits. In
1954 Milne participated in a group exhibition of religious art at the
Chateau Laurier, Ottawa. For a September 1959 solo exhibition at the New
Brunswick Museum in Saint John, Milne presented a more diverse group of
works, including relief panels of secular subjects and bronze horses she
cast herself.
Milne's working equipment includes a two-pound mallet and wide-tongued gouge knife. Several newspaper articles mention Milne’s argument that balance, not strength is required for carving. Milne has also worked extensively with bronze; even doing her own casting at an Ottawa foundry.
During her graduate studies with Ivan Mestrovic, Eleanor Milne began working with stone. Previous to this the majority of her sculpture had been in wood or bronze. It was the diversity of media she had experienced that led to Eleanor Milne being hired as the Dominion Sculptor. She had proved her talent and ability to work in many different types of materials and in all manner of sizes.