BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

William (Bill) Perceval Weston
(m Jessie Clara Bennett)

November 30 1879 - December 20 1967

B.C. Society of Fine Arts (Member 1910, President 1922-1926 & 1931-1937, Life Member 1938-1967)
B.C. Society of Fine Arts/B.C. Society of Artists: Exhibitor's Timeline
Island Arts & Crafts Society (exhibitor)
Provincial Normal School (Instructor 1914 - 1934 - ?)
Canadian Handicrafts Guild (Member 1914-?)
British Columbia Artist (B.C.A., 1921)
Vancouver Exhibition
Royal Vancouver Yacht Club
Canadian Group of Painters (Charter Member 1933)
Royal Canadian Academy (Associate 1936)
Royal Society of Artists, London (Elected Fellow 1938)
Federation of Canadian Artists (Founding Member 1941)
Western Group of Painters (1948)


W.P. Weston was born in Battersea, London, England, on November 30, 1879. He was one of the wave of British educators and artists who arrived in Vancouver around the turn of the century. He was trained in England at the Putney School of Art, in London.


Weston painting in England (family photo)

He arrived in Vancouver in 1909 and took up the position of Art Teacher at King Edward High School. He started an extensive exhibiting career in Vancouver that year, putting work into the Second Exhibition of the new B.C. Society of Fine Arts, as well as putting one painting into the Vancouver Studio Club autumn exhibition.


Weston on the "Voyage of the Whynot" 1913 (family photo)

In 1910 he was appointed Drawing Supervisor for the Vancouver School Board. In 1912 he became head of the Night School programmes. In 1914 he was appointed Art Master at the Provincial Normal School in Vancouver, from which he retired in 1946.


Weston in 1914-15 Normal School Annual

Weston gave a lecture titled The Place of Art in Education for the Vancouver Institute on March 15, 1917. Weston gave another lecture for the Vancouver Institute on December 9, 1929, titled Modern Developments in Architecture.

His painting November was reproduced in the February 15, 1918 issue of the Studio Magazine, published in London, England (see also 1919 review by McEvoy below).

Weston exhibited extensively for many years with the B.C. Society of Fine Arts, from 1909 to 1930, from 1936 through to 1962, and in the group's final exhibition in 1967. The 1930 exhibition catalogue noted that he was on the Society's Executive Committee.

Weston exhibited in Victoria with the Island Arts and Crafts Society in 1913 and from 1927 to 1930.

He was listed in the 1914 Social Register as a member of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild.

The 1922-1923 issue of the Provincial Normal School annual noted the following about Weston on "The Faculty" page:
     "An artist - but we need say no more, for his deeds and not our words have forever left their imprint upon the minds of the classes of our year - we have all struggled for the result which is at once so simple and yet so difficult to obtain.
     One of the things which we like most about Mr. Weston is his genuineness. A blob of colour is a "blob of colour" and a bunch is a "bunch"."

In the same catalogue, on the "From the Faculty Page", Weston noted:
     "Much of our knowledge and pleasure is gained through the eye.
     The eye, however, must work and see with intelligence. Drawing constitutes a measure of our ability to see a thing completely and intelligently, hence its value in general education."

Weston taught Class III in 1922-23, and the class page included the following little poem on page 25:
     Little daubs of crayon,
     Little daubs of paint.
     Make Class III's B. B.
     Just what it ain't.

On page 56 of the 1922-23 Normal School Annual, it was noted that the Annual Dance was to be held in the gymnasium, but "not the gymnasium in its ordinary, barren, week-day school dress, but a veritable fairy-land, transformed under Mr. Weston's artistic direction. The room was adorned with rose and green streamers, and the lights, enclosed in dainty, flowerlike shades, cast a soft radiance over all. A special feature of the decorations was a large yellow moon hung over the balcony, which added a most realistic touch to the Moonlight waltzes by shedding its moonbeams over the throng of dancers."

Weston was also included in the Humor pages of the 1922-23 Normal School annual:
     Mr. Weston: We'll take this period for catching up on anything you are behind in.
     Bergie: Alright, Mr. Weston, I am going to catch up on my sleep.
             z-z-z-z-z-z-z
Also:
     Mr. W___n: What is righteous anger?
     Student: Being angry without swearing.
Under the heading of "Pedagogical Psalms:"
     Mr. Weston: "I am as a wonder unto many." Ps. 71.7
Included in a poem about the Normal School are the following lines about Weston:
     Then we see the drawing master,
     See the great man, Mr. Weston;
     Just a touch of brush on paper,
     See! look! but it is so simple!
     And we look, but in amazement.
     Then he shows us very clearly,
     Just how simple is the method.
     How each step blends with the other.
And lastly:
     Cook (to Mr. Weston): "I hear they are going to magnetize the rear axle of the Ford."
     "What's the idea?"
     "So it will pick up the parts that drop off."


Weston in 1923-24 Normal School Annual

In 1924 Weston taught Elementary Art at the Summer School for Teachers, held in Victoria.

In 1925 he wrote the "Manual of Drawing and Design for Elementary and High Schools" with Charles H. Scott, then Supervisor of Art, Vancouver, and Spencer Perceval Judge, then Art Master, Vancouver. Weston re-wrote this book by himself in 1934, at the request of the publisher. Unfortunately, both Judge and Scott took this exclusion badly, and they apparently ceased to be friends with Weston.

Weston exhibited ink drawings and paintings at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1930, 1932, 1938, and 1939.

He exhibited in the Seattle Art Museum's annual Northwest Artists exhibition in 1930.

He had work in the annual B.C. Artists exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in the inaugural 1932 exhibition, and in 1933, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1945, and 1947. He also showed work at the Vancouver Exhibition in 1924, 1925, and 1930.

Weston was made an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1936. He has been mistakenly identified as the first artist of Western Canada to be so honoured, but in fact Sophie Pemberton was made an Associate in 1906. Weston was one of 31 Charter members of the Canadian Group of Painters, the successor organization to the Group of Seven and the Group of Eleven, and exhibited in their first group show in Atlantic City, sponsored by Heinz.

Weston was on the Faculty at the Provincial Normal School for many years. The 1932-33 School Annual gave the following insights into his teaching:

MR. WESTON
     "His pencil was striking, resistless, and grand;
     His manners were gentle, complying and bland;
     Still born to improve us in every part,
     His pencil our faces - his manners our heart."

     "As our training at Normal draws to a close, we, the members of Class III, begin to realize how deeply indebted we are to our class teacher, Mr. Weston. His unfailing encouragement and boundless enthusiasm have been a great help to us all. Even those students who were sure that the drawing of such things as birds, animals and fish was far beyond their ability have been able to produce some remarkable results."

He was also included in one of the jokes on the "Alleged Humor" page:
     A Lady Member of the Sketch Club: "How do you make eyes, Mr. Weston?"
     Mr. Weston: "How should I know? I'm a married man."

Weston was one of the Faculty members who looked after the Normal School's Outdoor Club, which made trips to local scenic spots such as Grouse Mountain, Hollyburn Ridge, and Seymour Creek. He also sponsored the Normal School's Sketch Club, both assisting the group and sketching with them. The 1932-33 school annual also a reproduction of one of his pen and ink Christmas cards of Grouse Mountain on the page for the Sketch Club.

In 1934 he had work in the RCA's 55th Annual exhibition, held at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The Spring 1936 edition of The Smock Pocket, the Vancouver School of Art Graduates' Association newsletter, noted that Weston was one of three jurors for the association's Fourth Annual Exhibition.

In 1938 he exhibited a painting in the 55th Annual Spring Exhibition of the Art Association of Montreal. His address was given as 1045 West 15th Ave., Vancouver in the exhibition catalogue. In 1939 he exhibited at the New York World's Fair. He also exhibited at the Tate Gallery, London England, and the Toronto Art Gallery.

In 1941 he had work in the RCA's 62nd Annual exhibition, held at the Art Association of Montreal.


UBC Evening Classes 1944-45


A BC Artist Series postcard

He 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.


Exhibition catalogue cover by Weston

In September 1948 Weston wrote an article about whether or not to jury the B.C. Artists' exhibitions. It was published in the Vancouver Art Gallery Bulletin, prior to the (juried) seventeenth annual B.C. Artists' exhibition.

He exhibited with the B.C. Society of Fine Arts in their 39th Annual Exhibition in 1949.

He submitted four linocuts to the 1949 B.C. Graphic exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, two of them were selected for the exhibition.


"Star Class Race English Bay 1926"
Greeting card from Weston pen & ink drawing

For many years Weston created Christmas cards from his paintings, re-rendering his large paintings into small black and white prints. Some he did while laid up in bed with health problems. The cards were printed in small numbers, with an inscription printed inside expressing seasonal greetings for that year. These would then be signed by Weston and his wife and mailed to family and friends. They have become quite collectable, and often sell for $200 to $400 at auction. The cards were produced by silk-screening, and Weston kept the screens. The screens were inherited by his daughter, who has re-printed some of the cards from them for her own Christmas greetings. She has, however, used a different type of paper than that on the original prints by Weston, and there is no printed greeting inside the later cards.


CarsCRAFT greeting card from Weston pen & ink drawing


1962 birthday party

Weston had numerous solo exhibitions, including at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1946 and 1949, and at the Victoria Arts Centre in 1949. Weston died December 20, 1967, age 88. His distinctive work continues to be enjoyed by collectors, and sells for ever increasing prices.


Portrait of Weston by R.S. Alexander, courtesy Renee Alexander.

Refer also to website created for Weston's work:
   www.wpweston.com


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION LOCATION
1934 Sept. 21 - 30 Paintings and Drawings Vancouver Art Gallery
1938 July 12 - 27 Six Local Artists Vancouver Art Gallery
1941 April 8 - 20 Solo Exhibition Vancouver Art Gallery
1944 November Solo Exhibition Coste House, Calgary
1945 May 1 - 17 Solo Show (31 pictures) Vancouver Art Gallery
1946 Nov. 12 - Dec. 1 Solo Exhibition Vancouver Art Gallery
1959 April - May 50 Years of Painting in BC (54 pictures) Vancouver Art Gallery
1966 Sept. 12 - ? Solo Exhibition (24 pictures) Vancouver Arts Club

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1909 Oct. 27 - Nov. 6 Studio Club    Autumn Exhibition Wimbledon Commons
The North Arm - Summer Evening
1909 November BCSFA    Second Exhibition A Village Church
Perranporth, Cornwall
Portrait of Mr. W. Weston
Head of Lake Windermere
1910 May BCSFA   Third Exhibition Eastbourne from Beachy Head
Sunset Effects
On the Cornish Coast
Fairy Folk
1911 November BCSFA   Fall Exhibition Birch Woods, Autumn
Birch Woods, Spring
1912 Nov. 25 - 30 BCSFA   Annual Exhibition Morning
Babbacombe Cove
Sunset
Granville Market
Toronto Exhibition Grounds
Coniston
1915 April BCSFA   Works by Members Cornish Cliffs
Twilight, Toronto Exhibition Grounds
A Squally Day
Portrait of my Father
Horseshoe Bay
Moonrise
A Sunny Day
Nanaimo - The Mill
Eastbourne from Beachy Head
1916 September BCSFA    Annual Exhibition Full Moon
1917 Sept. 14 - 22 BCSFA   Eleventh Exhibition Summer Calm
At Anchor
The Burner
On The Wharf, Gibson's Landing
Winter
November
1920 September 18 - 25 BCSFA   Annual Exhibition From Mount Tolmie
Moonrise, Cadboro Bay
The Cliff
The Beach
Launch, Coughlan's
Fresh Breeze Off Gordon Head
1921 Sept. 19 - 24 BCSFA   13th Annual Evening, Oak Bay
Dead Calm in the Gulf
Birch Trees
Sunset
Soames' Point
Summer Afternoon
Sunset Glow, Cadboro Bay
A Frosty Morning, Sunrise
1922 Sept. 16 - 23 BCSFA   14th Annual From the Hill Top, Victoria
Soames Point
Through the Trees, Grantham's Landing
Morning Mist
Sunset Through Smoke
A Summer Night
1923 May 12 - 19 BCSFA   15th Annual The Close of Day
Winter
Becalmed
'Round the Mark, Dinghy Race
Sunset, Little Mountain
1924 May 3 - 17 BCSFA   16th Annual Summer Morning, Grantham's
A Camp, Grantham's
Dingman's Cove, Gabriola
Gibson's Landing
Doris
1924 Aug. 9 - 16 Vancouver Exhibition   Annual Exhibition Summer, Howe Sound
1925 May 9 - 16 BCSFA   17th Annual Soames Beach, Howe Sound
A Windy Day, Sea Island
A Sketch, Winter
The Passing Squall
The Cloud
Sunset, Deep Cove
The Waterfront, Victoria
Sunshine and Snow, Kamloops
Autumn, Marine Drive
1926 May 8 - 15 BCSFA   18th Annual Trolling
Sun Rising Through Fog
Fog, Frost and Sunshine
Yacht Race, English Bay
1927 June 10 - 25 BCSFA   19th Annual The Lions
From Mt. Douglas
Yacht Race, English Bay
Shadows
Winter
Landscape
The Avenue, Normal School
The Court Yard, Normal School
1928 Feb 18 - Mar 18 Palette and Chisel Club   Exhibition Shadows
1929 May 18 - June 8 BCSFA   21st Annual Grouse Mountain - Winter
The Sentinel
In Howe Sound
Mt. Brunswick
Fallen Giant
The Western Lion, Sunset
Soames Ranch
Hollyburn Ridge
Twin Peaks
The Western Lion (Afternoon)
1929 Nov. 16 - 30 BCSFA   Winter Exhibition Road to Swartz
Evening, Howe Sound
Garrow Bay
Solitude
Pines
Mt. Baker
Mountains, Copper Cove
Rocks, Whytecliffe
1930 May 31 - June 14 BCSFA   Spring Exhibition Totems
The Lions
Grouse Mountain
Crown Mountain
Scrub Pines, Howe Sound
Cheam, Chilliwack
Snow Shadows
1930 Aug. 6 - 16 VanExh   Oil Paintings & Water-colours Cheam
Oaks
1930 Aug. 22 - Sept. 6 CNE   Graphic Art Totems (ink)
The Summit (drawing)
1932 May - July VAG   All Canadian Exhibition Scrub Pines, West Coast
Peaks of Silence
Study
Study
1932 Aug. 26 - Sept. 10 CNE   Graphic Art Yacht Race (ink)
Fisherman's Bay (pen)
Snow Shadows (pen)
The Peak (pen)
1932 Oct. 5 - 30 VAG   B.C. Artists 1st Annual Finis
Summer Evening
Pines
Snow Shadows
1933 June 3 - 11 VAG   BCSFA 23rd Annual Survival
Cheam
Forest Sentinel
1933 Sept. 22 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 2nd Annual Jotunheim
Winter Solitude
Devil's Club
Peaks
1935 Sept. 20 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 4th Annual Beached
1936 June 26 - July 12 BCSFA   26th Annual Battle Scarred
Mount Shukshan
Whytecliffe
The Summit
The Far Place
1937 April 16 - May 1 BCSFA   27th Annual Shadows
Gleneagles
Windswept
The Gravel Pit
Pen Drawing
1938 Mar. 17 - Apr. 10 AAM   55th Spring Exhibition Gleneagles
1938 April 29 - May 15 BCSFA   28th Annual Winter Phantasy
Life Force
Erosion
Flood Tide
Church Mountain
1938 Aug. 26 - Sept. 10 CNE   Canadian Fine Art Shadows
1939 May 1 - June (15) New York World's Fair (titles?)
1939 June 9 - 25 BCSFA   29th Annual Hill-top
Old Age
Mt. Klitsa
Tide Flats
Tree Study
1939 Aug. 25 - Sept. 9 CNE   Canadian Fine Art High Olympus
1939 Sept. 15 - Oct. 8 VAG   B.C. Artists 8th Annual Mt. Klitsa
Tree Study
Mt. Douglas
1940 May 17 - June 2 BCSFA   30th Annual Mt. Baker
Anvil Island
Shadows
Horse-Shoe Bay
Church Mountains
Garrow Bay
1940 Sept. 20 - Oct. 13 VAG   B.C. Artists 9th Annual Horseshoe Bay
Eagle Harbour
1941 May 10 - June 1 BCSFA   31st Annual Coast Scene
Snow Rhythm
Dead Pine
Tommy's Shack, Yale
Hope, B.C.
1942 May 15 - 31 BCSFA   32nd Annual Spring
November Mists
The White Church, Vancouver Island
Swamp
Yale, B.C.
1942 July 7 - Sept. 2 VAG   B.C. Artists 1st Annual Summer Spring
Horseshoe Bay
1942 Sept. 25 - Oct. 18 VAG   B.C. Artists 11th Annual Evening
1942 Nov. 3 - 15 FCA   Red Cross Benefit (no information available)
1943 May 15 - June 6 BCSFA   33rd Annual Abandoned Gravel Pit
Arbutus
Devil's Club
Beach Study
1943 July 2 - Aug. 25 VAG   B.C. Artists 2nd Annual Summer Devil's Club
Arbutus
1944 May 13 - June 4 BCSFA   34th Annual Winter Garden
The Close of Day
Cradle of Clouds
Foxglove
1944 July 4 - Aug. 30 VAG   B.C. Artists 3rd Annual Summer The White Church, V.I.
Foxgloves
1944 Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 VAG   B.C. Artists 13th Annual Golden Ears
1945 May 18 - June 10 BCSFA   35th Annual Glacier Mountain (1) Thunder Weather
Glacier Mountain (2) Slocan Lake
1945 July 3 - Aug. 26 VAG   B.C. Artists 4th Annual Summer Golden Ears
1945 Sept. 22 - Oct. 21 VAG   B.C. Artists 14th Annual Mt. Denver
1946 May 31 - June 23 BCSFA   36th Annual Swamp Lanterns
Afternoon, Slocan Lake
Mt. Denver, 5 a.m.
1946 July 2 - 28 VAG   Jubilee Exhibition Yale, B.C.
1947 May 9 - June 1 BCSFA   37th Annual Castor-Oil Plant
Red Mountain, New Denver, B.C.
1947 July 8 - 27 VAG   B.C. Artists Summer Exhibition Castor Oil Plant
Gleneagles
1947 Sept. 20 - Oct. 12 VAG   B.C. Artists 16th Annual Unnamed Peak
1948 May 18 -June 6 BCSFA   38th Annual Trail
Arbutus
Mt. Roderick
1949 May 3 - 22 BCSFA   39th Annual Anvil Island
Defiance
Mt. Peak, Coast Range
Kew Beach
Yale
1949 Nov. 22 - Dec. 11 VAG   First B.C. Graphic Old Tree, Mt. Baker
Cheam
Fisherman's Bay (rejected)
Mountain Forms (rejected)
1950 April 25 - May 14 BCSA   40th Annual Cornish Coast 1910
Cedar Stump
1951 April 24 - May 13 VAG    BCSA 41st Annual Mt. Garibaldi
Golden Ears, Pitt Lake
1951 Summer Park Royal    BCSA Summer Exhibition Kew Beach
Mount Garibaldi
Cedar Stump
Castor Oil Plant
Snow Rhythm
1952 April 1 - 20 VAG    BCSA 42nd Annual Log Pattern Copper Cove
Old Fir, Whytecliffe
Western Lion from Howe Sound
1953 May 5 - 31 VAG    BCSA 43rd Annual Beach Pattern, Copper Cove
Above Slocan Lake, B.C.
Windswept Tree, Victoria
1954 May 25 - June 13 VAG    BCSA 44th Annual Mamquam, Squamish B.C.
Mt. Whitecap, Coast Range
1955 April 26 - May 15 VAG    BCSA 45th Annual The Sky Pilot
Keremeos
1956 Feb. 28 - March 18 VAG    BCSA 46th Annual The Lonely Church, Spence's Bridge
Spring, Okanagan Lake
Old Pine Trees
1957 March 5 - 24 VAG    BCSA 47th Annual Atlin
On the Alaska Highway
Old Fir, Victoria, B.C.
1958 Feb. 4 - 22 VAG    BCSA 48th Annual Keremeos
Trinity Mountain, Fernie, B.C.

References - BIBLIOGRAPHY

Refer to BIBLIO.

References - GROUP EXHIBITIONS

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM - NORTHWEST ARTISTS EXHIBITIONS 1914 - 1975
     Refer to NWA BC artists by exhibition
     Refer to NWAA BC artists alphabetically

SOUVENIR CATALOGUE OF EXHIBITIONS OPENING THE NEW VANCOUVER ART GALLERY (refer to VAG51)

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

CONTEMPORARIES OF EMILY CARR IN BRITISH COLUMBIA (refer to SFU74)

VANCOUVER: ART & ARTISTS 1931 - 1983 (refer to VAG83)

IMAGES OF THE LAND - CANADIAN BLOCK PRINTS 1919 - 1945 (refer to GLEN84)

BEYOND THE CANVAS - Artists, Stories and the Sea (refer to VMM00)

DAILY GRIND EXHIBITIONS (refer to DG04)

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

RICHMOND ART GALLERY 25:25 - 1980-2005 (refer to RAG05)

SHORE, FOREST AND BEYOND - ART FROM THE AUDAIN COLLECTION (refer to VAG11)

COTTAGES TO COMMUNITIES (refer to WVHS11)

References - GENERAL

THE ANNUAL - PROVINCIAL NORMAL SCHOOL 1922 - 1923
      Published by the Provincial Normal School, Vancouver B.C.
      100 pages; illustrated with black and white drawings and photographs
      Includes notes and jokes about W.P. Weston.

MANUAL OF DRAWING AND DESIGN FOR ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOLS
      by W.P. Weston, Charles H. Scott, S.P. Judge
      1925, Authorized by the Dept. of Education of B.C.; Nelson & Sons, Toronto
      Text and illustrations by Judge, Scott, and Weston; edited by Charles H. Scott

THE ANNUAL - PROVINCIAL NORMAL SCHOOL 1932 - 1933
      Published by the Provincial Normal School, Vancouver B.C.
      80 pages; illustrated with black and white drawings and photographs
      Includes article on Normal School Sketch Club, and notes and one illustration by Normal School Art Master Weston page 58.

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

BRITISH COLUMBIA - A CENTENNIAL ANTHOLOGY (refer to BCCA58)

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

CREATIVE CANADA - Volumes One & Two (refer to CC71)
      Includes 2/3 column of information about Weston.

ISLAND ARTS AND CRAFTS SOCIETY - LIST OF EXHIBITORS

FROM DESOLATION TO SPLENDOUR (refer to FDTS77)

ROYAL CANADIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS - EXHIBITIONS & MEMBERS 1880 - 1979 (refer to RCA81)

KATHARINE EMMA MALTWOOD - ARTIST (refer to UVIC81)

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

MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS - SPRING EXHIBITIONS 1880 - 1970 (refer to MM88)

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
      Includes historical essays, biographical notes, index.

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
      12 references cited for Weston

THE FECKLESS COLLECTION (refer to FECK18)

GREATER VANCOUVER ART GALLERIES 1954-2020 (refer to GVAG20)
     3 references to Weston

VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY - B.C. ARTISTS FILES (refer to VPL)

Clippings

"It is refreshing for a Surrey man - as I am - to come across breezy "Wimbledon Common," by W.P. Weston, but though such pictures are welcome I would rather see the artist's brush employed on the vanishing charms of B.C. Wimbledon Commons, thank Heaven! is safe for all time, but where is the square yard of the country round Vancouver which is not already "staked" and "on the market". Hurry up ye members of the Vancouver club or all the "paintable" bits round the suburbs will be gone."
      From "The Studio Club Autumn Exhibition" by Felix Penne
      B.C. Saturday Sunset, October 30 1909

"W.P. Weston is a new - and a welcome artist in Vancouver. "The North Arm - Summer Evening" (51), is good."
      From "Vancouver Studio Club" by Felix Penne
      B.C. Saturday Sunset, November 6 1909

"W.P. Weston is another member of the organization, who is engaged in teaching. He is an artist of considerable capacity, and in some of his seascapes displays a power and vision which have made his contributions in this line of art to local exhibitions very acceptable."
      From "Art in British Columbia" by Bernard McEvoy
      Opportunities Magazine, 1910

"In the section devoted to oil paintings, two woodland scenes by W.P. Weston, "Birch Woods, Autumn," and "Birch Woods, Spring," call for special comment."
      From "Fine Arts Society Makes Fine Exhibit"
      Vancouver Daily World, November 23 1911

"Mr. W.P. Weston's "Full Moon," though not a large picture is exceedingly attractive by reason of the exquisite modulation of light and color, and the highly decorative way in which a sketchily painted sapling spreads its branches over the main part of the picture. There is a reticence and tasteful handling in this picture that make it a very desirable work of art."
      From "With The B.C. Artists" by "A Visitor"
      Vancouver Province, September 27 1916

"Mr. W.P. Weston of Vancouver, a competent exponent of art, and a painter of much imaginative power, shows at his best in his fine breezy picture entitled "November". Simple in composition and powerful in treatment, this work bears the mark of artistic inspiration. It took the fancy of the editor of the "Studio" when it was first exhibited, and a reproduction of it appeared in the pages of that emininent London periodical of contemporary art."
      From "Local Work is on View" by Bernard McEvoy
      Vancouver Province, October 2 1919

""Sunset" by W.P. Weston is the most daring and wonderful sunset I have seen pictured; it is a study in contrast and seems to hint of battle, the noble kind of battle that is lost before it is fought. This sunset seems to beat itself uselessly on the heads of two dull, sullen mountains; it hurls its battalions of color helplessly against their mass and indifference. It is a wonderful picture badly framed."
      From "Pictures at B.C. Fine Arts" by J. Butterfield
      Vancouver Province, September 19 1921, page 12

"Among those whose pictures were sold were ... W.P. Weston ..."
      From "By the Way in Art" per B.C. Art League
      Vancouver Province, October 6 1921, page 12

"Two striking color schemes by Mrs. Stateira Frame in her now well-recognized style of boldness are a tribute to her courage and determination in an attempt to break away from the traditional handling of difficult color values. It is unfortunate for Mr. W.P. Weston that the hanging committee have been unable to find a better juxtaposition for his delicately colored "Becalmed" and "Dinghy Race" than exactly between these violent but appealing canvases of Mrs. Frame. Wile the brighter colors absolutely kill Mr. Weston's picture from a color point of view, it is still possible to enjoy the life and dignity of their lines and composition."
      From "B.C. Fine Arts Society Exhibition (First Notice)"
      Vancouver Province, May 15 1923

""Summer Morning, Grantham's," by W.P. Weston offers a laughing view of the bay through lightly timbered uplands. It is a refreshing and invigorating piece of painting ... "
      From "Exhibition of B.C. Society of Fine Arts (Second Notice)"
      Vancouver Province, May 9 1924

"Proceeding further on the modernist line, Mr. W.P. Weston's "Booming Ground, Gambier Island" No. 18, must be intended as a joke. Such florid color, such blues, greens and yellows were never seen on land or sea. Mr. Weston is certainly "joshing" his fellow members who became so deeply infected with the latest development of painting. In No. 15, Mr. Weston is perhaps more intelligible, and the remarkable tree in the yellow field, was evidently perceived through a pair of agitated and circumlocutory glasses. The twiddling twigs are very amusing. Mr. Weston further exemplifies his conversion or retraction in No. 29."
      From "B.C. Society of Fine Arts" by Bernard McEvoy
      Vancouver Province, April 28 1928

"Decidedly the most striking picture from a masculine brush is the large landscape with a wind-tormented tree in the middle and an expanse of snow realistically painted with the afterglow of sunset upon it. It is impressionistic with a sane impressionism and gentle and simple looked at with understanding and delight. This is Charles Scott's. (Editor's note: the painting is actually by W.P. Weston, as corrected in a subsequent notice in the paper.)"
     (continues)
"Mr. W.P. Weston, always a standby of the society since he came here with fine credentials from London - an academic painter by education who experiments occasionally with modernism by way of recreation - is seen in six canvases which should be studied with the desire to get the artist's point of view, as he is not the man to do things without reason."
      From "B.C. Society of Fine Arts" by Diogenes
      Vancouver Province, November 13 1930

"The black and white prints and a few water colors that were crowded out of the North Gallery are hanging in the print room. Here are represented E.J. Cherry, W.P. Weston, J.W.G. Macdonald, B.A. Fry, Grace Melvin and others."
      From "B.C. Artists Reveal Talent at Show"
      unknown newspaper, October 1932

" ... nearly all our present painters of any distinction are also teachers. They include ... W.P. Weston, art instructor at the Vancouver Normal School ... "
      From "BRITISH COLUMBIA ART - Significance of First "All British Columbia Show" by Harold Mortimer Lamb
      Saturday Night December 10 1932

"Drawing Methods of Today Radical Change From Past"
      Daily Colonist, July 27 1934

"One-Man Display By W.P. Weston at Art Gallery Attractive"
      Vancouver Province, September 25 1934

"Art Textbook Author Shows His Paintings" by T.H.W.
      News-Herald, September 25 1934

"B.C. Laureate in Art" by C.O. Scott
      Vancouver Province, November 28 1936

"Modern Canadian Art Wins Acclaim"
      Vancouver Province, June 10 1937

"Art Teacher has Many Hobbies"
      Toronto Star Weekly, July 24 1937

"Two Vancouver Artists, J.W.G. Macdonald and W.P. Weston, have had the honor of having their work selected for the Coronation Exhibition in London. ... Mr. Weston, instructor of the Normal School and the first western artist to be elected to the R.C.A. (sic) will send an oil painting entitled "The Castaways."
      From "Vancouver Artists In Coronation Show: J.W.G. Macdonald and W.P. Weston Honored"
      Vancouver Province, August 19 1937

"There is much work that is excellent and pleasing. Among the oils ... W.P. Weston, especially his "Winter Phantasy," ... are all highly creditable."
      From "Fine Showing By B.C. Artists Follows Conventional Lines" by E.N.B.
      Vancouver Province, April 30 1938

"Art Shown in Common Things"
      Daily Colonist, July 6 1938

"Sculpture Key To Good Form"
      Daily Colonist, July 19 1938

"Telephone Is Today's Statue"
      Victoria Times, July 19 1938

"Cubism Dead Says Artist"
      Daily Colonist, July 27 1938

"Says Canada Art Distinct"
      Victoria Times, July 28 1938

"Art Revived in Common Things"
      Victoria Times, August 2 1938

"Machine Now Assists Art"
      Daily Colonist, August 3 1938

"W.P. Weston A.R.C.A. is admirably represented in the exhibition, notably by "Mount Kletza" (sic) a study of a Vancouver Island lake, with lofty peak in the background. "Tide Flats" is another strong contribution by him."
      From "Leading Provincial Artists Exhibit at Show" by T.H.W.
      News-Herald, June 10 1939

"Six Paintings From B.C. Go To England"
      Vancouver Province, August 26 1939

"Artist Honored"
      Vancouver Province, April 3 1939

"Princess Alice Visits Gallery"
      Victoria Colonist, April 18 1941

"Picture Sold to Princess" by Mildred Valley Thornton
      Vancouver Sun, April 19 1941

"Princess Alice Buys Painting By City Man"
      Vancouver Province, April 19 1941

"Vancouver Artists' Work in Hemisphere Art Exhibition"
      Vancouver Sun, July 18 1941

"Among the large canvases accepted for this year's R.C.A. exhibition are ... two big oil paintings by W.P. Weston, A.R.C.A., entitled "Dead Pine, Horseshoe Bay" and "B.C. Coast Scene" ..."
      From "Western Artists Capture Interest At Toronto Show" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, November 20 1941

"W.P. Weston's "B.C. Coast Scene" is among the exhibits selected for the travelling show of the Royal Canadian Academy which, as in previous years, will come to Vancouver during the winter."
      From "Western Artists Capture Interest At Toronto Show" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, November 20 1941

"W.P. Weston, A.R.C.A., not only shows examples of his strong characteristic B.C. landscapes but adds surprising achievement in entirely different compositions of skunk cabbages."
      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 ... W.P. Weston ... "
      From "B.C. Artists' Display To Calgary For Exhibition" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, May-June 1942

"W.P. Weston, A.R.C.A., again shows in his familiar style and with fine lyrical and decorative values a landscape combining water, mountains and vast expanse of sky."
      From "Colorful Display Presented In Exhibition By B.C. Artists" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, September 19 1942

" ... Among those contibuting paintings and drawings are: ... W.P. Weston, ARCA ... "
      From "Noted Artists Offer Paintings For Red Cross"
      Vancouver Province (presumed), November 1942

"New phases appear in the exhibits by W.P. Weston, A.R.C.A., especially in the color, simplicity and subtle rhythm running through his "Devil's Club" and "Abandoned Gravel Pit.""
      From "Fine Creative Spirit Marks Exhibition By B.C. Artists"
      Vancouver Province, May 21 1943

"Paintings by well known artists include ... W.P. Weston ... "
      From "Summer Show at Gallery Major Event for Art Lovers" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, July 7 1943

"William P. Weston, A.R.C.A., Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (London), is a notable, unassuming and characterful figure in B.C. art circles ... "
      From "Artist With A Message" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, August 28 1943

"W.P. Weston has a fine study of the outdoors ... "
      From "Notable Exhibits of Artists' Work" by Mildred Valley Thornton
      Vancouver Sun (presumed), May 1944

"The third exhibition of painting to be held this season at the Coste House, opening on Saturday, under the auspices of the Calgary Art Association, will feature the work of an outstanding British Columbia artist, W.P. Weston (A.R.C.A.) ... "
      From "Noted B.C. Artist In One-Man Show" by Geneva Lent
      Calgary Herald, November 15 1944

"Striking B.C. Scenic Studies Highlight One-man Art Show" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, May 10 1945

"W.P. Weston Retires After Eventful Art Career" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, March 27 1946

"Weston Display Major Event In Province's Art History"
      From "In the Realm of Art" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, November 13 1946

"Weston Exhibit Shows Strong Use Of Imagery"
      News Herald, November 13 1946

"Weston Show At Gallery Impressive" by Mildred Valley Thornton
      Vancouver Sun, November 22 1946

"Other works which catch the eye are by W.P. Weston, Beth (sic) Harris, Erich Loewe, and Gordon A. Smith."
      From "B.C. Art Exhibit Non-Experimental"
      News Herald, May 12 1947

"Artist Sees Trail As a Jap Print" by Ed Costello
      Trail Daily Times, January 29 1948

"Veteran Painter Begins Tour to Assist Artists" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, January 30 1948

"City Artist Ends Successful B.C. Tour" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, February 28 1948

""Never part with a painting until you've lived with it least (sic) a year." Such was the sage advice given to the West Van Sketch Club by W.P. Weston, A.R.C.A., at last week's meeting."
      From "Painter's Colic" by E.L.
      The Lions Gate Times, March 11 1948

" ... The Reeve oficially opened the show, followed by speeches from Mr. Ira Dilworth and Mr. W.P. Weston, thus making it one of the outstanding social, as well as cultural, events of the year. ... "
      From "Letter re West Vancouver Sketch Club"
      Personal correspondence, March 15 1948

"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. ... "
      From "LIKES WESTON" by "Allan P. Allsebrook"
      Trail Daily Times, March 1948

"In the more representational school W.P. Weston, ARCA, refusing to rest on past laurels, show five large paintings into all of which he has injected a fresh note. Especially fine in rhythmic movement are his logs on Kew Beach and a majestic view of Anvil Island."
      From "Lively Spirit Pervades B.C. Artists' Exhibition" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, May 3 1949

"Weston Pictures Leave Lasting Impression" by Audrey St. D. Johnson
      Victoria Times, September 14 1949

"In the 1910 catalogue appears for the first time the name of W.P. Weston, who has exhibited in every display since that date. With dozens of art teachers now in the Province it is difficult to realize that when Mr. Weston came from England in the previous year he was the only art teacher in the Province under John Kyle ... "
      From "B.C. Society of Artists - A History" by J.D. Parker
      B.C. Society of Fine Arts 40th Annual Exhibition Catalogue, 1950

"History of Art in B.C. Display To Feature Emily Carr's Work" by Pat Prowd
      (unknown newspaper), April 1950

"Cabbage - It Can Be Art"
      From "Weston's 50 Years of Painting in B.C." by Mac Reynolds
      Vancouver Sun, April 24 1959

"450 Jam Gallery For Weston Show"
      Vancouver Province ?, April 29 1959

"Veteran Artist's Works on Show" by Mildred Valley Thornton
      Vancouver Sun, May ? 1959

"World Famous Artist Holds First Coast Exhibition After 13 Years" by C.P.
      Nelson Daily News, May 30 1959

"Abstractionist Art - Or 'Drip And Dribble' " by C.P.
      Vancouver Sun ?, May ? 1959

"Artist Considered Crackpot When City 25 Years Old"
      Vancouver Sun, May 21 1960

"Portrait of an Artist"
      CBC Times, Vancouver, June 23-29 1962

"B.C. Art Master Lecture Subject" by Flora Kyle
      Vancouver Sun, June 29 1962

"B.C. Artist Gives Buyers Brush-Off" by Jim Rae
      Vancouver Sun, September 12 1966

"Weston imposes his will even on the clouds" by Joan Lowndes
      Vancouver Province, September 16 1966

"W. Weston, noted city artist, dies"
      Vancouver Province, December 21 1967

"Prominent B.C. Artist Dies at 88" by Staff Reporter
      Vancouver Sun, December 21 1967

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