| BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
After coming to Vancouver she was locally active in the arts for many years. She was an early member of the B.C. Art League, the group organized to found an art school and an art gallery in Vancouver.
In 1922 she went on a sketching trip to Pemberton and Darcy with R.S. Sherman and Maud Rees Sherman, led by Thomas Fripp. She won a medal for a watercolour landscape painting in 1936.
She showed one painting in a Royal Canadian Academy exhibition in 1940, titled "Desolation Valley, B.C."
In 1941 she had work in the RCA's 62nd Annual exhibition, held at the Art Association of Montreal.
In 1940 and 1942 she exhibited her work in group shows at the Vancouver Art Gallery, with important artists including Kate Smith Hoole and Beatrice Lennie.
In 1943 her work was mentioned by William Colgate in Canadian Art, Its Origin and Development, with the following note: " ...Mabel Bain, whose landscapes, both oils and water-colour, evidence a fine decorative sense."
She exhibited her work in the 1945 British Columbia At Work exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
She exhibited with the B.C. Society of Fine Arts in their annual exhibitions from 1929 to 1960.
She had a solo exhibition of oils and watercolours at the Gallery in 1947.
She entered three drawings to the 1949 B.C. Graphic exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, but none of them were selected for the exhibition.
Bain lived with her sister Nell, a school teacher, in Fort Langley for many years.
Also, per card file at Vancouver Art Gallery Library:
Island Arts and Crafts Society 1930 - #47 White Sands, #61 Seymour
Canyon (oils)
Bain died at the age of 91 at Valleyview Hospital, Essondale in 1972, address Surrey.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
| DATE | EXHIBITION | LOCATION |
| 1940 Oct. 15 - 30 | Mabel Bain & Nesta B. Horne | Vancouver Art Gallery |
| 1942 Dec. 8 - 20 | Mabel Bain, Kate Hoole, B. Lennie | Vancouver Art Gallery |
| 1947 Oct. 14 - Nov. 2 | Solo show - Oils & Watercolours | Vancouver Art Gallery |
| DATE | EXHIBITION | ARTWORK |
| 1929 May 18 - June 8 | BCSFA 21st Annual Exhibition | Pitt Meadows |
| Sycamores, California | ||
| Pleasant Valley, Cal. | ||
| 1929 Nov. 16 - 30 | BCSFA Winter Exhibition | The Old Barn |
| Midsummer Day, Victoria | ||
| 1932 May - July | VAG All Canadian Exhibition | White Sands, Carmel, Calif. |
| 1932 Oct. 5 - 30 | VAG B.C. Artists 1st Annual | The Alley |
| The Coast | ||
| Point Grey | ||
| 1934 Sept. 21 - Oct. 14 | VAG B.C. Artists 3rd Annual | Arbutus |
| Rest | ||
| The Slough | ||
| 1935 Sept. 20 - Oct. 15 | VAG B.C. Artists 4th Annual | Mountain Tops |
| In the Mountains | ||
| Morning at Mt. Shuksan | ||
| A Prairie Well | ||
| 1935 Nov. 22 - Dec. 8 | VAG B.C. Artists Christmas Exhibition | Mt. Shuksan |
| Old Cannery | ||
| 1936 Sept. 18 - Oct. 11 | VAG B.C. Artists 5th Annual | Mountain Meadows |
| Arbutus Trees | ||
| Desolation Valley, Garibaldi Park | ||
| Mountain Lake | ||
| 1936 Oct. 15 - 20 | VAG B.C. Artists Chilliwack Exhibition | Arbutus Trees |
| Mountain Lake | ||
| 1937 Sept. 17 - Oct. 10 | VAG B.C. Artists 6th Annual | Windy Day |
| Winter in Vancouver | ||
| The End of the Trail | ||
| 1938 Sept. 16 - Oct. 9 | VAG B.C. Artists 7th Annual | Showery Day, Harrison Lake |
| Mountain Tops | ||
| 1939 Sept. 15 - Oct. 8 | VAG B.C. Artists 8th Annual | Oak Bay, V.I. |
| The Old Tree | ||
| Calamity Point | ||
| Our Neighbours, No. 1 | ||
| Our Neighbours, No. 2 | ||
| 1940 May 17 - June 2 | BCSFA 30th Annual | The Dunes |
| Autumn in the Foothills | ||
| 1940 Sept. 20 - Oct. 13 | VAG B.C. Artists 9th Annual | Burbank |
| Forbidden Plateau | ||
| Cliff Dwellers | ||
| 1941 May 10 - June 1 | BCSFA 31st Annual | Seal Rocks |
| A Veteran of the Storms | ||
| Light and Shade | ||
| Early California | ||
| 1941 Sept. 26 - Oct. 19 | VAG B.C. Artists 10th Annual | Winter in the Canyon |
| The Silver Strand | ||
| 1942 May 15 - 31 | BCSFA 32nd Annual | Giants |
| Peaks at Jasper, B.C. | ||
| The Seventh Wave | ||
| 1942 July 7 - Sept. 2 | VAG B.C. Artists 1st Annual Summer | B.C. Giants |
| Desolation Valley, Garibaldi | ||
| 1942 Sept. 25 - Oct. 18 | VAG B.C. Artists 11th Annual | Mountains of Jasper |
| 1942 Nov. 3 - 15 | FCA Red Cross Benefit | (no information available) |
| 1943 May 15 - June 6 | BCSFA 33rd Annual | Autumn, B.C. Coast |
| After the Fire | ||
| Sunrise Park | ||
| Windblown | ||
| 1943 July 2 - Aug. 25 | VAG B.C. Artists 2nd Annual Summer | Sand Dunes |
| Jasper Peaks | ||
| 1944 May 13 - June 4 | BCSFA 34th Annual | Glacier Patterns |
| Old Avenue | ||
| Mountain Meadows | ||
| Mountain Slope | ||
| Melting Snows | ||
| 1944 Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 | VAG B.C. Artists 13th Annual | B.C. Coast |
| Early Autumn | ||
| 1945 May 18 - June 10 | BCSFA 35th Annual | Late Autumn |
| Early Spring | ||
| Late Winter, Coast Mountain | ||
| 1945 July 3 - Aug. 26 | VAG B.C. Artists 4th Annual Summer | Early Spring |
| 1945 Nov. 13 - Dec. 2 | Labour Arts Guild B.C. At Work | Chinese Gardeners |
| Fraser River Fishing Folk | ||
| Fraser Lumber Mill | ||
| 1946 May 31 - June 23 | BCSFA 36th Annual | Mountains in the Interior, B.C. |
| Flower Study | ||
| B.C. Coast | ||
| Rhododendrons | ||
| 1946 July 2 - 28 | VAG Jubilee Exhibition | B.C. Giants |
| 1946 Aug. 13 - 25 | VAG Stanley Park in Pictures | In Stanley Park |
| 1947 May 9 - June 1 | BCSFA 37th Annual | Grey Mountain |
| The Blue Lake | ||
| The Red Mountain | ||
| 1947 Sept. 20 - Oct. 12 | VAG B.C. Artists 16th Annual | The Orange Grove |
| The Ditcher | ||
| 1948 May 18 -June 6 | BCSFA 38th Annual | Sand Dunes |
| The Langley Elevator | ||
| The Fruit Stand | ||
| 1948 Sept. 18 - Oct. 10 | VAG B.C. Artists 17th Annual | Morning in the Mountains |
| Beginning of the Flood | ||
| 1949 May 3 - 22 | BCSFA 39th Annual | Mountain Slopes |
| 1949 Nov. 22 - Dec. 11 | VAG First B.C. Graphic | Elevator (rejected) |
| In the Rockies (rejected) | ||
| Fishing Shacks (rejected) | ||
| 1950 April 25 - May 14 | BCSA 40th Annual | Light and Shade |
| Mountain Tops, B.C. | ||
| 1951 April 24 - May 13 | VAG BCSA 41st Annual | The Windbreak |
| 1951 Summer | Park Royal BCSA Summer Exhibition | B.C. Coast |
| Autumn | ||
| Glacier, Garibaldi Park | ||
| Mountain Slopes | ||
| Black Tusk, B.C. | ||
| 1952 April 1 - 20 | VAG BCSA 42nd Annual | Morning |
| 1953 May 5 - 31 | VAG BCSA 43rd Annual | B.C. Farm |
| After Winter Storms | ||
| 1954 May 25 - June 13 | VAG BCSA 44th Annual | Western Mountain Tops |
| 1955 April 26 - May 15 | VAG BCSA 45th Annual | Siesta on the Farm |
| Cypress, Pacific Coast | ||
| 1956 Feb. 28 - March 18 | VAG BCSA 46th Annual | Mountain Form |
| 1957 March 5 - 24 | VAG BCSA 47th Annual | No. 3 |
| 1958 Feb. 4 - 22 | VAG BCSA 48th Annual | Flight |
SPRING EXHIBITION - FCA - BC REGION (refer to FCA64)
ISLAND ARTS AND CRAFTS SOCIETY - List of Exhibitors
ROYAL CANADIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS - EXHIBITIONS & MEMBERS 1880 - 1979 (refer to RCA81)
ARTISTS IN CANADA 1982 - UNION LIST OF ARTISTS' FILES (refer to AIC82)
BRITISH COLUMBIA WOMEN ARTISTS 1885-1985 (refer to AGGV85)
A DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN ARTISTS (refer to M)
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
4 references cited for Bain.
CITY & PROVINCIAL DIRECTORIES 1914/1917 (refer to DIR)
B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE death (refer to BCVS)
"The party consisted of ... Miss M. Bain ..."
from "Sketching Trip Enjoyed"
Western Woman's Weekly, July 29 1922
"Two of the most attractive of the water colors shown are M.A. Bain's
of a windy day in spring and Ross Lort's "Fisherman's Quilt." The
former has a wee marine scape in oils on exhibition also."
From "B.C. Artists Reveal Talent at Show"
unknown newspaper, October 1932
"Honourable Mentions were accorded as follows: Miss M.A. Bain ("Mountain Tops")"
From "Medal Awards in B.C. Artists' Exhibition"
Vancouver Art Gallery Bulletin Vol. 6 No. 2 October 1938
Information provided courtesy Joanna Spurling, VAG Library & Archives
"Artists represented in the group comprise the following ...
M.A. Bain ... " (continues)
From "Maritime Art Association"
Vancouver Art Gallery Bulletin, November (?) 1939
" ... together with oil and watercolour paintings by ...
M.A. Bain ... all contribute much to this extraordinary show."
From "B.C. Society of Fine Arts
Display Sets New High Mark" by Palette
Vancouver Province, May 16 1942
"The new executive committee is composed of M.A. Bain ..."
From "B.C. Artists' Display To Calgary
For Exhibition" by Palette
Vancouver Province, May-June 1942
" ... Among those contibuting paintings and drawings are: ... M.A. Bain ... "
from "Noted Artists Offer Paintings For Red Cross"
Vancouver Province (presumed), November 1942
"Among other prominent exhibitors are ... M. Bain ...
(continues)
From "Summer Show at Gallery Major Event
for Art Lovers" by Palette
Vancouver Province, July 7 1943
"Other artists showing creditable work are ... Mable (sic) Bain ..."
From "Notable Exhibits of Artists' Work"
by Mildred Valley Thornton
Vancouver Sun (presumed), May 1944