| BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
LETTERLIKES WESTONTrail Daily Times, Sir: - Was very amused at Mr. Ed. Costello's witty and kindly column (last month) re W.P. Weston, ARCA. I join with him in the opinion that Mr. Weston's one of the finest painters today in the province with a reputation deservedly dominion-wide. The writer has very vivid memories of his kindly and helpful spirit when he was art Instructor at the Japanese student-teacher's summer school in New Denver in the summers of '44 and '45. With the students and three gifted Nisei artists' help we put on a two-day exhibit in August, '44, which was patronized by half of New Denver, and visitors as far as New York and Chicago. In my humble estimation, one of the best art exhibitions ever put on in the interior. Certainly, we had none of the fantastic, grisly abortions sent round to Trail, Rossland and other interior points from time to time by the so-called "Federation of Canadian Artists!" (and we would have shown none). With all deference to one of the most masterly draftsmen I have met in Canada, I am afraid W.P. made the statement - to skip, if one wished, the preliminary chore and effort of drawing - with a kindly and tolerant tongue in his cheek. His pupils are all hard-working men and women, their time for the pursuit is, I am sure, severely limited, and the fascination of color and color-effects rather blinds us to the fact that drawing "per se" is 90% of any honest painting. You can make it a pastime or a life-work. 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. This exhibit was staged and expertly handled by the Trail Gyros in connection with their photographic salon, and over 1,000 paid admission, I learned from the Gyros secretary of the time. I was able to see for myself, too, the fine latent talent among Trail's senior and junior high school students, but I never heard of a Trail Art club. May I learn from you the name of their secretary? Allan P. ALLSEBROOK Kaslo, B.C. March 1, 1948 EDITOR'S NOTE: Secretary of the Trail Art Club is Miss Margaret Weir, 1560 Bay ave., Trial (sic). |