BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

James Henry Osborne Amess

July 16 1875 - June 3 1955

B.C. Society of Fine Arts (Member 1921-1943, Life Member 1944-1955)
B.C. Society of Fine Arts/B.C. Society of Artists: Exhibitor's Timeline


James Henry Osborne Amess was born in Sunderland, Durham, England in 1875. He was a pupil of LCC Central School of Arts and Crafts, and Goldsmith's Institute, both in London, Endland. He and his family (including his son Robert Walter Amess) moved to Canada, and they arrived on the West Coast one year later in 1911.

He won a Gold medal for his work at the Provincial Exhibition in 1919.

Amess exhibited with the B.C. Society of Fine Arts beginning in 1920, and continued to show work almost every year until 1951.

He had a two-person exhibition with Fred Amess at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1941. He later had a solo exhibition there in 1945.

He exhibited work in numerous B.C. Artists exhibitions from 1932 to 1945.

He had work in the Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto, in 1930 and possibly 1939, and in the Traveling Loan Collection in 1940.

Amess died in 1955, aged 79. His occupation was noted as "janitor - retired" with the last year worked noted as 1950 on his death certificate.


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION LOCATION
1941 June 3 - 15 J.H.O. Amess & Fred Amess Vancouver Art Gallery
1945 July 10 - Aug. 29 Solo show Vancouver Art Gallery

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1920 September 18 - 25 BCSFA   Annual Exhibition Portrait of Mrs. J. Duff Stuart
Portrait of David Blair, Esq.
1920 Dec. 4 - ? Sketch Club    Annual Exhibition Self Portrait
David Blair, Esq.
1921 Sept. 19 - 24 BCSFA   13th Annual A Quiet Place
Portrait
1921 Nov. 5 Sketch Club    Monthly Exhibition (portrait)
(still life)
1922 April 1 Sketch Club    Monthly Exhibition (pencil sketches)
(pastel landscape)
1922 Sept. 16 - 23 BCSFA   14th Annual Mrs. J.G. Todhunter
Looking East from Fraser Street Bridge
Portrait Sketch
1923 May 12 - 19 BCSFA   15th Annual Cloudy Evening, Fraser River
Portrait Sketch
Near Argyle, Fraser River
Good Friday at Lynn Valley
Portrait
1924 May 3 - 17 BCSFA   16th Annual Sketch
Bohemian Waxwings
"Tom"
Jean
Armed Ornithologist
1925 May 9 - 16 BCSFA   17th Annual Dusk, Twigg Island
Sunset, Twigg Island
Eagle Harbour
Eagle Harbour (East)
1926 May 8 - 15 BCSFA   18th Annual A Student
Hazel
The Connoisseurs
1927 June 10 - 25 BCSFA   19th Annual Barbara
Mary
1929 May 18 - June 8 BCSFA   21st Annual Portrait
1929 Nov. 16 - 30 BCSFA   Winter Exhibition Moments of Leisure
A Brown Study
A Neighbouring Draughtman
1930 May 31 - June 14 BCSFA   Spring Exhibition Hilda
Portrait
Merriment (Averil)
Annette
1930 Aug. 6 - 16 VanExh   Oil Paintings & Water-colours The Back Lot
Miss A. Dryden (Red chalk)
1930 Aug. 22 - Sept. 6 CNE   Graphic Arts Annette (crayon)
1932 May - July VAG   All Canadian Exhibition Irish Jig
Portrait
1932 Oct. 5 - 30 VAG   B.C. Artists 1st Annual A Friend
Sisters
1933 June 3 - 11 BCSFA 23rd Annual Lynn Creek
Marjorie
1933 Sept. 22 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 2nd Annual Bernice
Portrait of Peggy Weist
1934 Sept. 21 - Oct. 14 VAG   B.C. Artists 3rd Annual Home on the Range
1935 Sept. 20 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 4th Annual Shade
Portrait of my Wife
Doreen
1936 June 26 - July 12 BCSFA   26th Annual Spring Night
Twilight
Just to Oblige
Portrait of Miss Eustis
1937 April 16 - May 1 BCSFA   27th Annual Wintry Day
Alert
Spring
Billy Glen
1937 Sept. 17 - Oct. 10 VAG   B.C. Artists 6th Annual Gertrude
Meeting of the Waters, Kamloops
1938 April 29 - May 15 BCSFA   28th Annual Miss Grace Irwin
Nurse, Miss Parnell
Self Portrait
1938 Sept. 16 - Oct. 9 VAG   B.C. Artists 7th Annual Sylvia
Floral Piece
1939 June 9 - 25 BCSFA   29th Annual Elsie
At Steveston
A Gypsy
At Woodward's Landing
Margaret
1939 Sept. 15 - Oct. 8 VAG   B.C. Artists 8th Annual Stewart's Ranch, Sullivan Valley, B.C.
Miss Eunice Backie
1940 May 17 - June 2 BCSFA   30th Annual Hell's Gate, Fraser Canyon
Miss Holland
A Visitor
On Sea Island
1940 Sept. 20 - Oct. 13 VAG   B.C. Artists 9th Annual Fraser River Folk
Rest for Man and Beast
1941 May 10 - June 1 BCSFA   31st Annual Music at Home
The Commissionaire
Rev. T.S. Paton, B.A.
1941 Sept. 26 - Oct. 19 VAG   B.C. Artists 10th Annual On the Lady Cynthia
1942 May 15 - 31 BCSFA   32nd Annual Water
Near Fraser Street
The Morag
Detail from Botticelli's Adoration of the Virgin
Higgley Piggley
1943 May 15 - June 6 BCSFA   33rd Annual The White Boat
Archie Paton
Self Portrait
Up the Hill, Kaslo, B.C.
1943 Sept. 25 - Oct. 20 VAG   B.C. Artists 12th Annual Jake's Barn, Nicomen Island
Gourlay's Falls, Dewdney, B.C.
1944 May 13 - June 4 BCSFA   34th Annual Portrait "Dolly"
Portrait, R.J. Duncan
1944 Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 VAG   B.C. Artists 13th Annual Pool, Alouette River
1945 Sept. 22 - Oct. 21 VAG   B.C. Artists 14th Annual Morning, Agamemnon Channel
1946 May 31 - June 23 BCSFA   36th Annual From My Bed, St. Paul's Hospital
1947 May 9 - June 1 BCSFA   37th Annual The Lost Sheep
Wheat and Tares
The Samaritan Woman
1948 May 18 -June 6 BCSFA   38th Annual Workmen's Cars
Travelling Crane
1949 May 3 - 22 BCSFA   39th Annual The Man Born Blind
1950 April 25 - May 14 BCSA   40th Annual Portrait of Mrs. Duff Stuart
Church Interior (Pen and Ink)
1951 April 24 - May 13 VAG    BCSA 41st Annual Mary and Elizabeth (Pen and Ink)
The Good Samaritan (Pen and Ink)

References

WHO'S WHO IN NORTHWEST ART (refer to WWNA41)

THE FINE ARTS IN VANCOUVER, 1886 - 1930 (refer to THOM69)

ARTISTS IN CANADA 1982 - UNION LIST OF ARTISTS' FILES (refer to AIC82)

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
      2 references cited for Amess including WWNA above.

B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE death (refer to BCVS)

Clippings

"Mr. J.H. Osborne Amess is also a fine portrait painter. His portrait of himself won the first prize at the fair at Hastings Park. He also has a good portrait of David Blair, Esq."
      From "Annual Exhibit by Sketch Club"
      Vancouver Province, December 6 1920

"In a "Portrait" (135) by J.H.O. Amess; we have a picture whose composition is hard and uncompromising, but whose subject figure is wonderfully conceived. ... " (continues).
      From "Pictures at B.C. Fine Arts" by J. Butterfield
      Vancouver Province, September 19 1921, page 12

"The exhibitors were: Mr. Amiss, (sic) portrait and still life (oils); ... "
      From "Many View Sketch Club Exhibit and Much Work Shown"
      Vancouver Sun, November 7 1921

"Clever pencil sketches and also a pretty pastel landscape were shown by Mr. Amess."
      From "Sketch Club Tea Enjoyable Event; Good Work Shown"
      Vancouver Daily World, April 3 1922

"Fred Amess' "High Dive" is an arresting composition. Mr. Amess's father, J.H.O. Amess, is showing something that is not very common, a water-color portrait. It is a charming study of a girl in green."
      From "B.C. Artists Reveal Talent at Show"
      unknown newspaper, October 1932

"G.T. Tyler (sic), G.L Thornton Sharp, James Amess, and Stanley Tytler and others make contributions which should be studied."
      From "Leading Provincial Artists Exhibit at Show" by T.H.W.
      News-Herald, June 10 1939

"Artists represented in the group comprise the following ... James H.O. Amess ... " (continues)
      From "Maritime Art Association"
      Vancouver Art Gallery Bulletin, November (?) 1939

"James Amess has made remarkable strides ... "
      From "Notable Exhibits of Artists' Work" by Mildred Valley Thornton
      Vancouver Sun (presumed), May 1944

"It was '43 I think, when I was last in Trail, to see the first exhibit of Vancouver artists, sponsored by James L. (sic) Amess, of B.C. Fine Arts association, Vancouver, Mrs. Mildred V. Thornton, Bess Symons, Fred Amess and the writer. (continues)"
      From "LIKES WESTON" by Allan P. Allsebrook
      Trail Daily Times, March 1948

"The Society membership has been constantly strengthened in the succeeding years by the addition of other members, which included in the early years ... James Amess ... "
      From "B.C. Society of Artists - A History" by J.D. Parker
      B.C. Society of Fine Arts 40th Annual Exhibition Catalogue, 1950


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