Name/Title
West Coast Beach and CliffsEntry/Object ID
2014.07.14Description
Drawing
This coastal scene depicts a pathway adjacent to a beach with a curving treed and rocky coastline. Presented in black and white and grey, it is a Modernist landscape with sketchy textured elements and linear shading, as well as a strong design that leads the eye along the shore. The location is likely Galiano Island where the artist lived for a number of years.Artwork Details
Medium
Pen and ink wash on paperSubject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
Galiano Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands located between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of B.C. Located on the west side of the Strait of Georgia, the island is bordered by Mayne Island, Salt Spring Island and Valdes Island. Galiano Island takes its name from the Spanish explorer Dionisio Alcalá Galiano (1760-1805), who explored the area in 1792.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Alistair F. Ross (1929-2005)Role
ArtistDate made
n.d.Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Alistair F. Ross is a Canadian artist who attended the Vancouver School of Art on scholarship, 1954-55. He worked mainly in oil and watercolour, exhibiting in the British Columbia Artists' Exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1957 and 1960. Ross moved to Galiano Island (date unknown) and was very active in the community, reported to be the prime mover in creating the Galiano Museum Society and providing leadership through its first years, as well as serving as its president. Incorporated in 1997, the Society opened and continues to operate a museum whose focus is the history of Galiano Island and its people.
Ross also contributed to the "Gulf Island Driftwood" community newspaper, as an ongoing columnist and correspondent from the 1990s onwards. He was also a longtime member of the Gulf Islands Branch - B.C. Historical Federation. There are other references to Ross in relation to Galiano Island in various art auction records, and he is buried in Galiano Cemetery.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
SignatureLocation
Signed lower left: Alistair Ross.Dimensions
Dimension Description
SupportHeight
24 cmWidth
31 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftDate
2014Notes
Donated by Martin Segger, UCBC Member
