Georgia Jarvis

A popular western Canadian painter, Georgia Jarvis was born in Grassland, Alberta and was active for most of her painting career in the environs of Calgary, Alberta, where she died.

Her primary mediums were oils and acrylics. Several of her paintings were reproduced as limited edition prints and collector plates. Her subjects were landscapes, figures in landscapes, idyllic rural scenes, genre*, children, the Rocky Mountains, rivers, farm and ranch activities and nostalgia. Most of her works depict scenes set in Canada’s Prairie Provinces, particularly Alberta; however, she travelled extensively in Canada and there are works by her depicting locations in other regions such as the two illustrated by askART: Mount Stephen, which is in British Columbia and Gendron Bridge, Wakefield, Que., which is, as the title says, in Quebec.

Her styles were Realism* and Impressionism*. AskART has dozens of good illustrations of her oeuvre.

Jarvis graduated from the University of Alberta, Edmonton in 1965 with a Diploma in Nursing [Dip (Nu)] and worked as a nurse. She was a self taught artist and only began painting while recovering from a broken leg in the late 1970s. Her lifetime output was over 2,200 original works. She was recognized with the Collectors' Choice Award at several Calgary Stampede Western Art Auctions.

Sources:
The Collector's Dictionary of Canadian Artists at Auction (2001), by Anthony R. Westbridge and Diana L. Bodnar (see askART Publications)

“The Tale of a $3 Masterpiece”, Hanna Herald, Hanna, Alberta, Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Canadian Heritage Information Network*

Calgary Stampede website

Kevin King, Hodgins Art Auctions Ltd., Calgary (March 30, 2016 – phone call)

University of Alberta Alumni Association (March 31, 2016 – phone call to confirm diploma and graduation date)

Written and contributed to askART by M.D. Silverbrooke.

* For more in-depth information about these terms and others, see AskART.com. Glossary http://www.askart.com/AskART/lists/Art_Definition.aspx
______

TRIVIA
Georgia Jarvis and her art work are connected to a Supreme Court of Canada case: Shortly after her death, her husband Warren James Jarvis sold more than $500,000.00 worth of her paintings and prints. On an anonymous tip, Revenue Canada began an investigation. They eventually charged Jarvis with not declaring the sales as income. After almost a decade in the courts, and a Supreme Court of Canada decision, Jarvis was acquitted in 2005. The Supreme Court case revolved around determining if Jarvis’s constitutional rights were violated by Revenue Canada when they collected evidence under the pretext of a regular audit, without informing him that he was in fact under criminal investigation and could have refrained from answering questions by claiming protection from self incrimination. For more information see Supreme Court of Canada case - R. v. Jarvis.

Source: Supreme Court of Canada

Submitted by M.D. Silverbrooke