| BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
She exhibited in the B.C. Artists annual exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in the 1940s and from 1951 to 1953. She was living in Vernon at the time.
In 1946 she illustrated a book of B.C. Flowers "and its particular fairy" with 32 lino block prints, including Oregon Grape and Penstemon. The prints were signed with her name "janet" in the block.
She had work in the Federation of Canadian Artists Third Traveling Exhibition in 1947.
She exhibited under the name Blench only in 1946, and as Janet or Holly Middleton the rest of the time.
Vancouver Public Library list of B.C. Artists notes her thus:
Middleton, Janet (Holly B.), 1922 aka Mrs. J.M. Churchill
Info in the Banff School of Fine Arts 1960 Prospectus:
"Janet Middleton returns to the Banff School of Fine Arts where she taught during
the summers of 1948, 1949, and 1959. Conducts community art classes for the
Department of Extension, University of Alberta. She is a member of the Society
of Western Artists, San Francisco; the Canadian Painter-Etchers, Toronto; and
the Alberta Society of Artists. Miss Middleton is becoming widely known through
showings of her original serigraphs, water colors and oils."
According to Macdonald she had a solo exhibition at the Middleton Gallery in Vernon in 1973. She received the All-Alberta Art Award in 1964, and a bronze medal for sculpture in Vancouver in 1964.
The artist died in Banff, Alberta in 2018.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
| DATE | EXHIBITION | ARTWORK |
| 1942 Sept. 25 - Oct. 18 | VAG B.C. Artists 11th Annual | Still Life - Study in Colour |
| Lulu | ||
| 1943 Sept. 25 - Oct. 20 | VAG B.C. Artists 12th Annual | Landscape |
| 1944 Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 | VAG B.C. Artists 13th Annual | The Church |
| Cascade | ||
| 1946 Sept. 21 - Oct. 13 | VAG B.C. Artists 15th Annual | Shuswap Rapids |
| Pioneer Church | ||
| 1947 July 22 - 27 | VAG B.C. Interior Artists | (titles?) |
| 1947 | FCA Third Traveling Exhibition | Tunnel - Mountain - Banff |
| 1949 Oct. 8 - 30 | VAG B.C. Artists 18th Annual | Forest Life |
| Upper Falls - Johnson's Canyon |
CANADIAN ARTISTS IN EXHIBITION 1972-73
Roundstone, Toronto 1974, page 133
THE SHELL CANADA COLLECTION (refer to SHEL77)
ARTISTS IN CANADA 1982 - UNION LIST OF ARTISTS' FILES (refer to AIC82)
MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS - SPRING EXHIBITIONS 1880 - 1970 (refer to MM88)
A DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN ARTISTS (refer to M)
One-page biography with numerous references.
A CENTURY OF SCULPTURE (refer to SSBC98)
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
6 references to Blench/Middleton.
VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY - LIST OF BC ARTISTS ON FILE (refer to VPL)
https://cwahi.concordia.ca/sources/artists/displayArtist.php?ID_artist=4253
"... a mountain scene by Janet Middleton
is satisfying in color, composition and general feeling."
From "Interior Art Shows Quality, Much Promise" by
Mildred Valley Thornton
Vancouver Sun, July 28 1947
"City Artist Wins Award" Edmonton Bulletin, November 5 1949
"Janet Middleton's Paintings Will Hang In Historic Barkerville Park" Vernon News, February 2 1959
"Talented Woman Painter" by Doris Milke Calgary Herald, January 9 1963
"Numerous Awards for Prominent Artist" Guelph Mercury, February 16 1967
"Artist Trades Brush for a Trowel" Kitchener-Waterloo Record, August 5 1967
"Detailed Faces and Abstract Bodies" by Joann Fellows Kitchener-Waterloo Record, May 16 1970
"Holly Middleton's Exhibition 'An Ambitious Undertaking'" by Henri Bonli Guelph Mercury, May 28 1970
"Art - Abandoning Teaching for Painting" by Kay Kritzwiser Globe & Mail, January 12 1971
"Holly Middleton - City Artist to Teach at Banff Art School" Vernon News, June 5 1972
"Valley Artist Aids Students at Banff" Kelowna Courier, July 17 1972