Welcome to the
W.P. Weston Online Gallery

 

Welcome to the W.P. Weston Online Gallery, a virtual exhibit that heralds the life of Canadian artist, William Percy Weston.

Weston captured the grandeur of the mountains and trees of British Columbia in the 1930s and 40s with incredible energy and power. But words aren’t enough to describe Weston’s unique style of interpreting the landscape. We are creating a virtual gallery to allow his art to speak for itself.

This site is a place for you to discover, learn about and enjoy a growing collection of Weston’s paintings and drawings. It is a way of introducing this remarkable artist, whose work is of the same excellent caliber as his more famous contemporaries Emily Carr, Lawren Harris and the Group of Seven.

This launch, in May 2001, is only the beginning. Our goal is to develop a comprehensive exhibit that represents the full scope of Weston’s career and celebrate one of the treasures in Canadian art history. The site is a work in progress, not a final product. It will be updated at least once a year as we include additional works and feature new research.

We would like to bring his collection together in this virtual world. But we need your help.

No record has been kept of the whereabouts of Weston’s art. Some are held in public galleries, but many are in private collections. Weston often gave paintings away, to his daughters and friends. Many of those people are now elderly or deceased, and now his works are difficult to trace.

If you have a drawing or painting by W.P. Weston and would like to be part of this site, we invite you to contact us. Private collectors will be assured of anonymity, if so desired.

For now, we hope you will enjoy this collection of Weston’s paintings and drawings and read about his life and career.  We have also included a list of resources for further research.

If you have any information about W.P. Weston that you would like to share, please contact us.

Information Resources

  • Letia Richardson, Silence and Solitude: The Art of W.P. Weston. Richmond: Richmond Art Gallery, 1993
  • Ian M. Thom, Introduction, William P. Weston A.R.C.A. (1867-1967) by Heffel Gallery, Vancouver. Vancouver: Heffel Gallery, 1991.
  • Ian M.Thom, W.P. Weston. Victoria: The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 1980.
  • Anthony William Rogers, W.P. Weston, Educator and Artist : The Development of British Ideas in the Art Curriculum of B.C. Public Schools, doctoral thesis, Vancouver : University of British Columbia (http://www.library.ubc.ca), 1987.
  • W.P. Weston, Teacher’s Manual for Drawing
  • A taped interview with W.P. Weston, was conducted by Marjorie Dallas in 1962. It can be found at the Glenbow Museum, (http://www.glenbow.org/library.htm) in Calgary, Alberta.
  • The Vancouver Art Gallery (http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/) library has a substantial clipping file on Weston.
  • See References for full list of resources used to develop this site.

Weston’s artwork is held by the following galleries, although not necessarily online.

About the Group of Seven and the Canadian Group of Painters

Other sites which may be of interest.