BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Lilias Marianne Ar de Soif Farley

May 2 1907 - August 2 1989

Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts (Diploma 1929)
P.A.S.O.V.A.S. (President)
Vancouver Arts and Letters Club (Member)
Vancouver School of Art Graduate's Association (Member)
Honourable Mention Royal Society of Arts, England (1930)
Sculpture Society of Canada
Tauber's Puppet Players
B.C. Society of Artists (Member 1937-67)
Federation of Canadian Artists (Founding Member 1941)
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Northwest Institute of Sculpture
International Institute of Arts & Letters, Switzerland (Life Fellow)



From 1929 graduating class photo


Lilias Farley was born in Ottawa in 1907, and moved to Vancouver with her family in either 1923 or 1924. She started classes at the VSDAA in 1925, and was in the first graduating class in 1929, later exhibiting in the PASOVAS group exhibition at the B.C. Art League gallery in 1930. She was a sculptor in wood, a theatre designer, and a craftsman producing puppetry.


1929 Graduating Class

Farley was a member of P.A.S.O.V.A.S., the Pioneer Art Students of Vancouver Art School, an artist's group formed in 1930 from the students who entered the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts in its first year and a half of classes in 1925 and 1926. She was also a student of Harry Tauber's.

She was "highly commended" for her textile designs at the British Empire Industrial Arts Exhibition in London, England, 1930. She had work in the PASOVAS exhibitions in 1932 and 1936 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Farley began exhibiting her paintings and sculptures with the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1936, showing 10 works in six exhibitions up to 1947. In 1945 she showed a wood carving at the British Columbia At Work exhibition, also at the Vancouver Art Gallery. She became a member of the B.C. Society of Fine Arts in 1938, and exhibited her work in their annual exhibitions in 1942, 1943, and 1949.

She won a $100 award at the Second Annual BC at Work exhibition in 1945, sponsored by the Labour Arts Council.

She was on a list titled "Leading Vancouver Artists," provided to the Labour Arts Guild on April 10, 1946 by the Vancouver Art Gallery to assist in the Guild's call for entries to the second annual B.C. At Work exhibition.

She was a "designer, muralist, and sculptor in realism, semi-abstraction, and abstraction". She completed two murals and decorative bronze details for the Hotel Vancouver that was completed in 1939 in time for the Royal visit, as well as carved patterns for the Vancouver Post Office.

Later in her life she lived and taught art in Whitehorse, Yukon, where she died in 1989.


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION LOCATION
1946 March 12 - 31 Solo exhibition (12 pictures) VAG

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1930 Nov. 27 - Dec. 7 PASOVAS   Art Club Exhibition Tree Panel
Program cover
Cover "Backstage"
Cover "Spring"
Copper Paper Weight "Archie From Australia"
Undersea
Grain Elevators
Screen Design
Design "Bellingham Ferries"
Design "Barclay Street"
Large Design "Backstage"
Elephant Noir
Hand-blocked curtains "Livingston in Deepest Africa"
Woven rugs
Handblock curtain "Chickens"
1932 Sept. 17 - 30 PASOVAS   Club Exhibition Marionette Designs: "The Witch Doctor"
Marionette Designs: "Egyptian Ballet"
Marionettes: Characters from "The Witch Doctor"
Cover Design
Sketch
Sketch
Hand-Wrought Fire Screen
1932 Oct. 5 - 30 VAG   B.C. Artists 1st Annual Decorative Panel
1933 May 3 - 18 VAG   VSAGA 1st Annual Exhibition Shacks
Beaux Arts Poster
Marionette Designs
Costume Designs
Decorative Head Panels
Head of Madonna
Hand Woven Purse
Silk Theatrical Mask
Nubian Slave Boy Marionette
1933 Sept. 22 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 2nd Annual Congo Child
1934 Sept. 21 - Oct. 14 VAG   B.C. Artists 3rd Annual Mediaeval (sic) Maiden
1935 Sept. 20 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 4th Annual Octoroon
1936 Feb. 21 - Mar. 5 PASOVAS Annual Group Show (titles?)
1936 Sept. 18 - Oct. 11 VAG   B.C. Artists 5th Annual Carving in Mahogany
Carving - Head
1937 April 16 - May 1 BCSFA   27th Annual Meditation
Obeisance
1937 Sept. 17 - Oct. 10 VAG   B.C. Artists 6th Annual Madonna
1938 April 29 - May 15 BCSFA   28th Annual Spring Form
Native Dance
1939 June 9 - 25 BCSFA   29th Annual Photograph of Sketch for Mural, Hotel Vancouver
Photograph of Sketch for Mural, Hotel Vancouver
Head
1940 May 17 - June 2 BCSFA   30th Annual Drawing of a Head
Decorative Head
Studies for Wall Decorations: (a) Negro Dancers
Studies for Wall Decorations: (b) Dance Rhythm
Dance Pattern
1941 May 10 - June 1 BCSFA   31st Annual Wolf Mask
Indian Mask
Water Lilies
Photograph of Carved Figure
A Decorative Figure
1942 May 15 - 31 BCSFA   32nd Annual West Coast Indian Mask
Decorative Head
Ypaana
Photo of the sculpture purchased by I.B.M.
1942 July 7 - Sept. 2 VAG   B.C. Artists 1st Annual Summer Native Dancer
1943 May 15 - June 6 BCSFA   33rd Annual Carving in Mahogany
1944 May 13 - June 4 BCSFA   34th Annual Decorative Head
Sleeping Siamese
1945 Sept. 22 - Oct. 21 VAG   B.C. Artists 14th Annual Carving
1945 Nov. 13 - Dec. 2 Labour Arts Guild   B.C. At Work Carving "End of the Shift"
1946 May 31 - June 23 BCSFA   36th Annual Leaf Unfolding
1946 July 2 - 28 VAG   Jubilee Exhibition Pavanne
1947 May 9 - June 1 BCSFA   37th Annual Fronds
1948 May 18 -June 6 BCSFA   38th Annual Figure in White Mahogany
1949 May 3 - 22 BCSFA   39th Annual Figure in Mahogany
1950 April 25 - May 14 BCSA   40th Annual Figure in Mahogany
Angel
1952 April 1 - 20 VAG    BCSA 42nd Annual Plant Pattern
1953 May 5 - 31 VAG    BCSA 43rd Annual Carving
1956 Feb. 28 - March 18 VAG    BCSA 46th Annual Leaf Pattern

References

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

100 YEARS OF B.C. ART (refer to VAG58)

ROYAL CANADIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS - EXHIBITIONS & MEMBERS 1880 - 1979 (refer to RCA81)
      List of six exhibitions and ten artworks

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

BRITISH COLUMBIA WOMEN ARTISTS 1885-1985 (refer to AGGV85)

FIRST CLASS - Four Graduates From The Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts
      1987, Letia Richardson; The Floating Curatorial Gallery at Women in Focus
      Exhibition catalogue; ISBN 0-921823-03-7
      Includes survey essay of women artists in Vancouver.
      Chronologies of Lilias Farley, Irene Hoffar Reid, Beatrice Lennie, and Vera Weatherbie.

A DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN ARTISTS (refer to M)

A CENTURY OF SCULPTURE (refer to SSBC98)

ART BC, MASTERWORKS FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA by Ian M. Thom
      2000, Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., ISBN 1-55054-808-5
      232 pages illustrated in colour and b&w
      Farley biography page 64, work "Jack-in-the-Pulpit" illustrated page 65.

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
      4 references cited for Farley.

A MODERN LIFE: Art and Design in British Columbia 1945-1960 (refer to VAG04)

VANCOUVER SCHOOL OF DECORATIVE & APPLIED ARTS - List of Students

CITY & PROVINCIAL DIRECTORIES 1934 (refer to DIR)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilias_Farley

Clippings

"Lilias Farley, who shows several figure designs, has also two excellent woodcarvings which might almost be termed figurines for their small perfection. They are beautiful pieces of work both as regards technique and design."
      From "Pasovas Club Has Splendid Annual Show"
      Vancouver Province, November 6 1934

"Margaret Williams, Maud Shearman (sic), and Lilias Farley are well represented in the show ... "
      From "Pasovas Art Show"
      Vancouver Sun, November 6 1934

"... Lilias Farley ... are all represented."
      From "PASOVAS EXHIBIT - Pioneer Art Students' Show"
      Vancouver Province, February 21 1936

"In the working of material into decorative effect there are buffalo book-ends by Maisie Robertson, and mahogany carving by Lilias Farley."
      From "PASOVAS CLUB - Annual Display on View at Art Gallery"
      News Herald, February 1936

"Three Vancouver women artists have contributed to the interior decorations of the new Hotel Vancouver. ... Another of Vancouver's young women artists, who is also a graduate of the Art School and a frequent exhibitor at the Art Gallery, is Lilias Farley who has painted the two large murals in the ladies' tavern. An interesting feature of these two works of art, the one 8' 9" by 5' 9", the other 11 1/8' by 5' 9", is that they are painted with mural paint. It is the first time it has been used here and gives the stylized figures and conventional foliage design a dull, flat surface."
      From "Local Women Artists Helped Decorate Hotel"
      (unknown newspaper), date unknown

"There is in the black and white drawing of Lillias Farley (sic) germ for a design in bronze or similar material worthy of artistic execution."
      From "Leading Provincial Artists Exhibit at Show" by T.H.W.
      News-Herald, June 10 1939

"A group of wood carvings by Lilias Farley now on display at Harry Hood's Art Emporium, again gives evidence of the skill of a creative local artist. The archaic simplicity and decorative value of these charming small sculptures suggest in style both a modern trend and influence of early gothic. ..."
      From "Western Artists Capture Interest At Toronto Show" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, November 20 1941

"Lilias Farley, who is famous as sculptor and painter, too, exhibits some striking Indian decorative heads."
      From "B.C. Society of Fine Arts Display Sets New High Mark" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, May 16 1942

"... Lilias Farley (was elected) honorary secretary ..."
      From "B.C. Artists' Display To Calgary For Exhibition" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, May-June 1942

"The sculptors include ... Lilias Farley ... "
      From "Summer Show at Gallery Major Event for Art Lovers" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, July 7 1943

"Other notable exhibits include a characterful and rhythmic wood carving of a woman worker by Lilias Farley ... "
      From "B.C. Industry Lives in Gallery Display"
      Newspaper unknown, (November 1945)

"Among the more unusual efforts are J.W.G. Macdonald's delightfully imaginative water-colors, Jessie Faunt's entertaining and bright compositions and Lilias Farley's wood-carving, "Fronds.""
      From "B.C. Art Exhibit Non-Experimental"
      News Herald, May 12 1947

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