Treed Landscape with Stream

Treed Landscape with Stream, n.d. Watercolour on paper by Thomas Bamford (1861-1941)

Treed Landscape with Stream, n.d. Watercolour on paper by Thomas Bamford (1861-1941)

Name/Title

Treed Landscape with Stream

Entry/Object ID

2017.05.07

Description

Painting This landscape is a traditional depiction of nature with a reflective stream and trees, rocks and shrubs, some in rich fall colours. The bright blue spot in the middle ground appears to be a person in a brightly-coloured jacket. The location is unknown.

Artwork Details

Medium

Watercolour on paper

Subject Place

Region

Pacific Northwest

Continent

North America

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Thomas Bamford (1861-1941)

Role

Painter

Date made

n.d.

Time Period

19th Century, 20th Century

Notes

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Born in Liverpool, England, Thomas Bamford was a talented amateur Canadian painter active in B.C. and Ontario. He studied at the Liverpool School of Art and later at the Boston Art School, after immigrating there where he worked as a founder. He settled in Victoria in 1882, working as a founder, and later as a surveyor from the 1890s until he retired in 1926. Bamford took up art as a hobby and had a home studio across the street from artist Emily Carr's (1871-1945) house. He was a prolific sketcher, and from drawings produced many watercolours and oil paintings, although he rarely sold his work and was generous in his gift-giving. His work was closely connected to the English landscape watercolour tradition in subject matter, medium and style. In the 1890s he also did magazine illustration and organized the art exhibition that opened the new Parliament Buildings. He was very involved in the arts community exhibiting at the Vancouver Art Association Annual Exhibitions, the B.C. Society of Fine Arts exhibitions, and also with the Island Arts and Crafts Society for close to 30 years. He was a charter member of the Society, serving two terms as its president and contributing to almost all the annual exhibitions for some 25 years. He also showed his work at the Ottawa Art Gallery, the Ontario Art Gallery, at the Canadian Nation Exhibition, and with the Ontario Society of Artists. He was also a member of the Vancouver Art Association and the Victoria Sketch Club. Bamford was also one of 118 Canadian artists who, in 1932, demanded reform at the National Gallery of Canada including a government investigation and threatened a contentious boycott. In addition to the Gallery, the controversy involved the Canadian Group of Seven, the Royal Canadian Academy, various key artist societies (incl. the Island Arts and Crafts Society), Government Ministers and many professional artists. See Web Links.

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Signature

Location

Signed lower left: BAMFORD

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Visible image

Height

35.6 cm

Width

25.4 cm

Acquisition

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Date

Nov 23, 2017

Notes

Kilshaws Lot 101

Relationships

Related Entries

Notes

By Thomas Bamford: 2017.02.02 Colquitz River 2017.05.07 Treed Landscape with Stream 2017.05.11 The Straits from Gonzales