BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Dorothy Gladys Bell
(m F.C. Bell)

February 8 1893 - 1954

B.C. Society of Fine Arts (Member)
Federation of Canadian Artists (Founding Member 1941)


It is quite possible that this artist is also Dorothy S. Bell, the only difference being the middle initial that might have been a typo in the source information.

Dorothy Bell was born in Edinburgh in 1893, and took art training at the Edinburgh School of Art, the Glasgow School of Art, and at the Vancouver School of Art.

She had work in a number of B.C. Artists exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

She exhibited her work in the 1944 and 1945 British Columbia At Work exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery. She was living in Vancouver at the time.

Bell was on a list titled "Leading Vancouver Artists," provided to the Labour Arts Guild on April 10, 1946 by the Vancouver Art Gallery to assist in the Guild's call for entries to the second annual B.C. At Work exhibition.

She was a member of the B.C. Society of Fine Arts, and exhibited in their 39th Annual Exhibition in 1949. Later that year she submitted four drawings to the 1949 B.C. Graphic exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, but only one of them was selected for the exhibition.

A 1952 newspaper article noted that she was giving Saturday art lessons to children at Gleneagles Elementary School.

In 1953 she provided a colour graphic of totem poles for the cover of a small pamphlet published by George H. Raley on the totem poles of Stanley Park.


GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1937 Sept. 17 - Oct. 10 VAG   B.C. Artists 6th Annual Glacier Flow
Black Tusk from Empetrum
1938 Sept. 16 - Oct. 9 VAG   B.C. Artists 7th Annual Capilano Valley
Mural Designs - Canadians
Sunlit Garden
The Boy and the Boat
1939 Sept. 15 - Oct. 8 VAG   B.C. Artists 8th Annual Gambier Island
Cedar and Maple
1940 Sept. 20 - Oct. 13 VAG   B.C. Artists 9th Annual Across Seymour Valley, December
Light
Ski Slopes
1941 Sept. 26 - Oct. 19 VAG   B.C. Artists 10th Annual Rubble Creek, Garibaldi
Foot of Burrard Street, Evening
Lifting Clouds, Savary
High Tide and East Wind
1942 May 15 - 31 BCSFA   32nd Annual The Wharf
1942 July 7 - Sept. 2 VAG   B.C. Artists 1st Annual Summer Mountains, Howe Sound
1942 Sept. 25 - Oct. 18 VAG   B.C. Artists 11th Annual Mt. Baker from the Seymour Trail
Beach, Mountain and Water in Winter
My Garden
Red Cross Supplies
1942 Nov. 3 - 15 FCA   Red Cross Benefit (no information available)
1943 May 15 - June 6 BCSFA   33rd Annual Chemistry Students
Spring on the North Shore
1943 July 2 - Aug. 25 VAG   B.C. Artists 2nd Annual Summer My Garden
Spring in False Creek
1943 Sept. 25 - Oct. 20 VAG   B.C. Artists 12th Annual Island Fantasy
Sun Bathers
1944 May 13 - June 4 BCSFA   34th Annual Between Winter and Spring
Winter Serenity
Fresh Snow on Hollyburn
1944 July 4 - Aug. 30 VAG   B.C. Artists 3rd Annual Summer Between Winter and Spring
1944 Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 VAG   B.C. Artists 13th Annual Helm Glacier, Garibaldi
Stone-patterned Hillside
Sawmill in Cheakamus Valley
1944 Nov. 21 - Dec. 10 Labour Arts Guild   1st B.C. At Work Sigurdson's Lumber Mill
1945 May 18 - June 10 BCSFA   35th Annual Old Houses Along False Creek
Back Yard Pattern (as seen from art gall. roof)
1945 July 3 - Aug. 26 VAG   B.C. Artists 4th Annual Summer Helm Glacier, Caribaldi
Backyard Pattern
1945 Sept. 22 - Oct. 21 VAG   B.C. Artists 14th Annual Cambie Street
Clouds Over Howe Sound
1945 Nov. 13 - Dec. 2 Labour Arts Guild   2nd B.C. At Work Donkey Man
1946 May 31 - June 23 BCSFA   36th Annual Strange Surroundings for a Boat
Up Howe Sound to Garibaldi
Form and Color Arrangement on the Shore
1946 July 2 - 28 VAG   Jubilee Exhibition My Garden
1946 Aug. 13 - 25 VAG   Stanley Park in Pictures After Nightfall
The Theatre Under the Stars had Wet Evening
1946 Sept. 21 - Oct. 13 VAG   B.C. Artists 15th Annual The Channel Between Jervis and Princess Louisa Inlets
False Creek Industries
1946 ? - ? VAG    Selections from 15th BCA Blanca Street in Winter
1946 Oct. ? - ? FCA    40 Selections from 15th BCA False Creek Industries
1947 May 9 - June 1 BCSFA   37th Annual Rising Clouds
Intersection of Old Cambie St. Playgrounds
The Yellow Cabin
1947 July 8 - 27 VAG   B.C. Artists Summer Exhibition Land Clearing
1947 Sept. 20 - Oct. 12 VAG   B.C. Artists 16th Annual Mount Garibaldi
1948 May 18 - June 6 BCSFA   38th Annual Logging Scars
Coast of Vancouver Island
1948 July 27 - Aug. 15 VAG   Stanley Park in Pictures Lights at the Entrance
1949 May 3 - 22 BCSFA   39th Annual Snowy Woods
Sleigh Riding on Trimble Hill
High Wind Spanish Banks
Pt. Grey Street in Winter
1949 July 12 - July 31 VAG   Stanley Park in Pictures Prospect Point
1949 Oct. 8 - 30 VAG   B.C. Artists 18th Annual Summer Evening, Spanish Banks
Kalamalka Lake
1949 Nov. 22 - Dec. 11 VAG   First B.C. Graphic Golden Ears Above Haney (rejected)
False Creek Industries (rejected)
Jervis Inlet
Rain (rejected)
1950 April 25 - May 14 BCSA   40th Annual Coast of Vancouver Island Yellow Point
Downtown Street, Vancouver
1950 Nov. 28 - Dec. 17 VAG   B.C. Artists 19th Annual Boats Wintering
1951 April 24 - May 13 VAG    BCSA 41st Annual Ice on Fisherman's Cove
Under Snow (Water Colour)
1951 Summer Park Royal BCSA    Summer Exhibition Coast of Vancouver Island
Winter at Point Grey
Ice on Fishermans Cove
Fishermans Cove
Summer Holidays at C.P.R. Dock
1952 April 1 - 20 VAG    BCSA 42nd Annual Towing on Howe Sound
Night Passage
Blue Day
1953 May 5 - 31 VAG    BCSA 43rd Annual Night Mystery
Moonlit Mountains
Howe Sound
1954 May 25 - June 13 VAG    BCSA 44th Annual The North Wind
Snowfall
Winter Calm

References

WHO'S WHO IN NORTHWEST ART (refer to WWNA41)

SOUVENIR CATALOGUE OF EXHIBITIONS OPENING THE NEW VANCOUVER ART GALLERY (refer to VAG51)

OUR TOTEM POLES - A SOUVENIR OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
      "A Monograph of the Totem-Poles in Stanley Park"
      January 1953, by The Rev. George H. Raley.
      Three-colour cover image by Bell.

100 YEARS OF B.C. ART (refer to VAG58)

ARTISTS IN CANADA 1982 - UNION LIST OF ARTISTS' FILES (refer to AIC82)

BRITISH COLUMBIA WOMEN ARTISTS 1885-1985 (refer to AGGV85)

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
      1 reference cited for Bell - WWNA listed above.

Clippings

"Other worthwhile exhibits are by ... Dorothy Bell ..."
      From "B.C. Society of Fine Arts Display Sets New High Mark" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, May 16 1942

" ... Among those contibuting paintings and drawings are: ... Dorothy Bell ... "
      From "Noted Artists Offer Paintings For Red Cross"
      Vancouver Province (presumed), November 1942

"Among other prominent exhibitors are ... Dorothy Bell ... "
      From "Summer Show at Gallery Major Event for Art Lovers" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, July 7 1943

"The first Honourable Mention in the watercolour class went to John A. Korner for "Crescendo," the second to Dorothy Bell for her painting "Sun Bathers." "
      From "12th Annual B.C. Artists' Exhibition"
      Vancouver Art Gallery Bulletin, November 1943

"Other artists showing creditable work are ... Dorothy Bell ... "
      From "Notable Exhibits of Artists' Work" by Mildred Valley Thornton
      Vancouver Sun (presumed), May 1944

"All of the contributions by Dorothy Bell, especially her fine "Point Grey ("Street", Ed.) in Winter" show a stride ahead in this artist's work."
      From "Lively Spirit Pervades B.C. Artists' Exhibition" by Palette
      Vancouver Province, May 3 1949


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