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Donald Flather BIOGRAPHY
1903 London, England - 1990 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Known for: Abstract floral, animal, figural, and landscape painting-mountains.
Dr. Donald McIntosh Flather was a self-taught amateur painter whose work has recently been rediscovered and is achieving some very impressive prices at auction. He was born in London, England,... Read full biography
Dr. Donald McIntosh Flather was a self-taught amateur painter whose work has recently been rediscovered and is achieving some very impressive prices at auction. He was born in London, England, emigrated to Canada in 1910, and died in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where he had lived since the... Read full biography
Dr. Donald McIntosh Flather was a self-taught amateur painter whose work has recently been rediscovered and is achieving some very impressive prices at auction. He was born in London, England, emigrated to Canada in 1910, and died in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where he had lived since the 1920s. His medium was primarily oil on Masonite*. His subjects included landscapes, flowers, animals, nudes, fantasy, dreams, mysticism, shape, color and texture. His landscape locations are from his... Read full biography
Dr. Donald McIntosh Flather was a self-taught amateur painter whose work has recently been rediscovered and is achieving some very impressive prices at auction. He was born in London, England, emigrated to Canada in 1910, and died in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where he had lived since the 1920s. His medium was primarily oil on Masonite*. His subjects included landscapes, flowers, animals, nudes, fantasy, dreams, mysticism, shape, color and texture. His landscape locations are from his extensive travels throughout British Columbia and across Canada. His styles included Fauvism*, Abstract Expressionism*, Geometric Abstraction* and Surrealism*. He was a founding member of the Federation of Canadian Artists* and an associate of some... Read full biography
Dr. Donald McIntosh Flather was a self-taught amateur painter whose work has recently been rediscovered and is achieving some very impressive prices at auction. He was born in London, England, emigrated to Canada in 1910, and died in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where he had lived since the 1920s. His medium was primarily oil on Masonite*. His subjects included landscapes, flowers, animals, nudes, fantasy, dreams, mysticism, shape, color and texture. His landscape locations are from his extensive travels throughout British Columbia and across Canada. His styles included Fauvism*, Abstract Expressionism*, Geometric Abstraction* and Surrealism*. He was a founding member of the Federation of Canadian Artists* and an associate of some of Canada's greatest artists including Lawren S. Harris (1), Fred Varley, W.P. Weston, Jack Shadbolt, A.Y. Jackso... Read full biography
Artist Biography
Biography page for Donald Flather ((1903 - 1990)), known for Abstract floral, animal, figural, and landscape painting-mountains. Showing 1 biographical entries and 0 sample artworks.
Donald Flather - Artist Info
About Donald Flather
Biography from the Archives of askART
Dr. Donald McIntosh Flather was a self-taught amateur painter whose work has recently been rediscovered and is achieving some very impressive prices at auction.
He was born in London, England, emigrated to Canada in 1910, and died in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where he had lived since the 1920s.
His medium was primarily oil on Masonite*. His subjects included landscapes, flowers, animals, nudes, fantasy, dreams, mysticism, shape, color and texture. His landscape locations are from his extensive travels throughout British Columbia and across Canada. His styles included Fauvism*, Abstract Expressionism*, Geometric Abstraction* and Surrealism*.
He was a founding member of the Federation of Canadian Artists* and an associate of some of Canada's greatest artists including Lawren S. Harris (1), Fred Varley, W.P. Weston, Jack Shadbolt, A.Y. Jackson and B.C. Binning (2). However, he exhibited rarely (3) and sold few paintings; apparently, largely because he wasn't interested in selling them. According to the Canadian Heritage Information Network*, no major Canadian museum holds his work in its permanent collection, yet.
AskART and the The Collector's Dictionary of Canadian Artists at Auction (2001), by Anthony R. Westbridge and Diana L. Bodnar (see AskART book references) are the primary independent sources of information on Donald Flather; this author could not find him mentioned in any other art reference books. The website titled, "The Fine Art of Donald Flather" also has a biography, a copy of which is attached below.
Footnote:
(1) All artists and associates mentioned in this biography have their own pages in AskART.
(2) Source: Beautiful BC Magazine article titled: "The Secret Life of Donald Flather" (Spring 1999), by Daniel Wood.
(3) The author has a catalogue for the "16th Annual British Columbia Artists Exhibition", September 20th to October 12, 1947 at the Vancouver Art Gallery; D.M. Flather is listed as an exhibitor of the painting East Wind. No price is listed. Peter Aspell, Don Jarvis, Jack Shadbolt, Joe Plaskett, Gordon A. Smith and W.P. Weston are among the other exhibitors. Many of their works are priced, all $100.00 or less. According to Daniel Wood (see footnote 2), Flather exhibited several times in similar venues at the Vancouver Art Gallery up to 1950.
* For more in-depth information about these terms and others, see AskART.com Glossary http://www.askart.com/AskART/lists/Art_Definition.aspx.
Prepared and contributed to askART by M.D. Silverbrooke.
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Website Biography from "The Fine Art of Donald Flather".
Dr. Flather was a highly talented man who combined his love of the outdoors with his love of art to produce many wonderful works. Over his lifetime, he produced in excess of 400 paintings, which extensively covered Canadian landscapes from coast to coast, as well as plants and animals. Although a teacher by vocation, he dedicated a great deal of his life (circa 1919 - 1990) to his painting and developed his own unique style which combines elements of French Impressionism and the Group of Seven.
Dr. Flather was a colleague of Lawren Harris, founder of the Group of Seven, and the two men worked together for several years on the executive of the Federation of Canadian Artists, of which Dr. Flather was an original and founding member. From 1938, Dr. Flather exhibited many times with the B.C.Federation of Artists (of which he was Secretary of in the 40's and 50's) in Vancouver, and even displayed paintings at The Art Gallery of Toronto (March, 1950). Following this, he also acted as National Treasurer of The Federation of Canadian Artists. He was a very modest man, and did not devote much time or effort to showing his art; rather he preferred to circulate it amongst friends and Family.
After growing up in the Shuswap Lake region [of British Columbia], Donald M. Flather came to Vancouver in his twenties, at which time he began to paint more in his free time. He graduated from U.B.C. [University of British Columbia] with his B.A. and M.A. He took teacher training and began teaching at Templeton, and taught at Britannia and King George High Schools. At King George he was Vice Principal, and he organized the Vancouver Night School for several years at King Edward Campus. Dr. Flather's Ph.D. in Education was conferred at the University of Washington [Seattle] in 1950. He and his lovely wife Grace raised a family of three boys, Elwood, Barrie and Verne - all of whom went on to become medical doctors, raising families of their own.
Dr. Flather's works show a wonderful combining of his roles of teacher, botanist, biologist, scientist and painter, and successfully integrate his knowledge with his art. One of his greatest wishes was that others be able to view and enjoy through his paintings the world as he saw it- full of beauty. His paintings are now widely held in collections in Canada, Asia, Indonesia, the USA and Britain.
EXHIBITION HISTORY:
1. Circa 1945 - 1955. Annual BC Artists Exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery - Juried Shows.
Donald participated in many of these - usually exhibiting 2 of his works in each, alongside great artists like Emily Carr and Lawren Harris.
2. March 21 to April 18, 1991. Solo Show - North Vancouver Court House and City Hall.
Approximately 40 of Donald's paintings were on Public Display only.
3. June 29 - July 30, 1997. Solo show - The Plaza Galleries.
Approximately 25 works on display.
4. Jan. 5 - Feb. 1, 1998. "Canada's Majestic Seasons". Solo show held at The West Vancouver Public Library.
Approximately 25 works on display.
5. Spring, 1999. Featured Artist in Beautiful BC Magazine. Article titled: "The Secret Life of Donald Flather", by Daniel Wood .
6. April 7 to April 29, 2000. "Unveil the Trail" - joint show held in Victoria in support of the Trans Canada Trail Project.
9 paintings on display.
7. June 26 - July 18, 2000 "Pioneers in Canadian Art". Joint show with Mildred Valley Thornton held at The Federation of Canadian Artists and Westbridge Fine Art.
24 of Donald's paintings on display.
SOURCE: http://www.donaldflather.com/