BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Lois Hunter Gilpin
(m George Thompson Gilpin)

September 2 1869 - July 25 1963

Vancouver Sketch Club (Hon. Sec. 1923)
Art, Historical, and Scientific Association of Vancouver (Member 1931)


Lois Gilpin was born in Orillia, Ontario. She exhibited in Vancouver from at least 1917 to 1925 with the Vancouver Sketch Club. She was Honorary Secretary of the club in 1923, according to an article in the British Columbia Ladies' Mirror, and also showed her artwork in the club's semi-annual exhibition that December.


Sea Call

Lois M. Gilpin had a solo exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1934, presumably the same woman (but not necessarily).

She showed work in the B.C. Artists' annual exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery from 1933 to 1945.

B.C. Vital Statistics on-lines records a Lois Gilpin passing away July 25 1963 at the age of 93. This is probably the same person.


GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1912 Nov. 25 - 30 BCSFA   Annual Exhibition Study of a Young Girl
1917 May 5 Sketch Club    Exhibition (titles not known)
1917 Dec. 1 - ? Sketch Club    Exhibition (titles not known)
1918 April Sketch Club    Monthly Exhibition (watercolour)
(watercolour)
1919 Sept. 6 - ? Sketch Club    Monthly Exhibition A Turkey and Her Brood
A White Baby Calf
Purple Hills at Eventide
1920 Feb. 7 Sketch Club    Monthly Exhibition (North Vancouver snow scene)
(seascape)
1920 April 10 Sketch Club    Monthly Exhibition (titles not known)
1920 Dec. 4 Sketch Club    Annual Exhibition Addul Baha (portrait)
(portrait of a bride)
(sketch of a lady)
Fishing (boat scene)
1923 March 3 Sketch Club    Monthly Exhibition June in Ontario
1923 May 12 - 19 BCSFA   15th Annual Exhibition Winter Sunset
In Ontario
1924 Feb. 2 Sketch Club    Monthly Exhibition (study from life)
1924 May 3 - 17 BCSFA   16th Annual Exhibition Portrait
1924 Aug. 9 - 16 Vancouver Exhibition   Annual Exhibition Moses Coulee, Washington
1925 Nov. 28 - Dec. 5 Sketch Club    Semi-Annual Exhibition (titles not known)
1933 Sept. 22 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 2nd Annual Moonlight From Grouse Mountain
1934 Sept. 21 - Oct. 14 VAG   B.C. Artists 3rd Annual Autumn at Sproat Lake
1935 Sept. 20 - Oct. 15 VAG   B.C. Artists 4th Annual Storm and Sunshine
1936 Sept. 18 - Oct. 11 VAG   B.C. Artists 5th Annual A Garden By the Sea - Cannon Beach, Oregon
1936 Oct. 15 - 20 VAG   B.C. Artists Chilliwack Exhibition A Garden By the Sea - Cannon Beach, Oregon
1943 Sept. 25 - Oct. 20 VAG   B.C. Artists 12th Annual Abide with us
1945 Sept. 22 - Oct. 21 VAG   B.C. Artists 14th Annual Sunset at Comox


References - MONOGRAPHS

Refer to BIBLIO.

References - GENERAL

MUSEUM AND ART NOTES, Vol. VI, No. 1
      March 1931; 42 pages, illustrated black and white
      Published by the Art, Historical and Scientific Association of Vancouver
      Poem "Sea Call" & illustration by Lois Gilpin on page 31.

THE FINE ARTS IN VANCOUVER, 1886 - 1930 (refer to THOM69)

B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE (refer to BCVS)

Clippings

"Among the exhibitors were ... Mrs. G.T. Gilpin ..."
      From "Social Notes"
      Vancouver Daily World, May 7 1917

"At their new quarters in the Victoria block, the Vancouver Sketch Club had an interesting exhibition on Saturday afternoon. Among the exhibitors were ... Mrs. G.T. Gilpin ..."
      "Many Visitors At Sketch Club"
      Vancouver Daily World, December 3 1917

"Mrs. Gilpin's two water colors represented the most successful work seen from her brush."
      From "Miss Neilson Terry is Guest of Sketch Club"
      Vancouver Daily World, April 1918

" ... "A Turkey and Her Brood," "A White Baby Calf," and "Purple Hills at Eventide" by Mrs. G.T. Gilpin."
      From "Sketch Club Opens Winter Season's Work"
      Vancouver Daily Province, September 8 1919

" ... Mrs. Geo. T. Gilpin (was represented by) by a snow scene at North Vancouver, and a seascape; "
      From "Sketch Club Has Resumed Exhibitions"
      Vancouver Daily World, February 9 1920

"Miss M. Conran, Mrs. George T. Gilpin, Miss Batiste, Mr. Laing, and Mr. J. Scott, with two clever portraits in charcoal, all helped to keep up the credit of the club."
      From "Art Exhibits Fewer But Maintain Standard"
      Vancouver Daily Province, April 13 1920

""A Little Marine", by Mrs. George Gilpin is a credit to the artist."
      From "Freshness and vitality in Exhibition of Vancouver Sketch Club"
      Western Woman's Weekly, June 5 1920

"Mrs. George Gilpin, of North Vancouver, won second prize for portrait from life in water colors, and third prize for figure from life."
      From "Arts Clubs Active - Vancouver Sketch Club"
      Western Woman's Weekly, September 18 1920

"Mrs. Geo. T. Gilpin (was represented) by a sketch of a most natural looking little boy, "Buddy"."
      From "Vancouver Sketch Club"
      Western Woman's Weekly, October 9 1920

"Mrs. Gilpin, the kindly hostess, had a very fine painting in water colour of Addul Baha, the Persian prisoner, who was forty years in the prison city of Aeca in Syria, because of his views of unity, brotherhoood and iniversal peace, which did not meet with the approval of the Mohammedan Mullah. Mrs. Gilpin also sent a dainty portrait of a bride, which was claimed by a very young person in no dulcet tones as "his mama.""
      From "Annual Exhibit by Sketch Club"
      Vancouver Province, December 6 1920

"Another increasing sign of the great vitality of the club is the inclusion of seventeen new members during the last month as a result of the forceful drive carried out mainly by Mrs. L.M. Gilpin, (sic) the secretary. ... "June in Ontario" by Mrs. Gilpin, is a rich and flowery conception of the garden of Canada, and is almost sub-tropical in its soft luxury of greens."
      From "Vancouver Sketch Club"
      Vancouver Province, March 5 1923

"Mrs. George Gilpin, in her picture of Moses Coulee, Wash., has given us a clever portrayal of sun-baked rocks and parched grass of a very high order."
      From "Sketch Club Semi-Annual Art Exhibition"
      B.C. Ladies' Mirror, December 15 1923

"... and Mrs. George Gilpin is honorary secretary."
      From "Student Classes At Sketch Club" by L.H.G.
      British Columbia Ladies' Mirror, December 15 1923

"Mrs. Gilpin exhibited the best study from life she has so far showen. (sic)"
      From "Sketch Club Exhibit Held"
      Vancouver Daily World, February 4 1924

"Mrs. Lois Gilpin has a portrait head of a pleasant old gentleman full of humor and gentle kindliness that is an interesting piece of work."
      From "Exhibition of B.C. Society of Fine Arts (Second Notice)"
      Vancouver Province, May 9 1924

"A new fine arts committee for 1924 has been struck as follows: ... Mrs. Gilpin and Miss Wake, representing the Vancouver Sketch Club"
      From "Will Feature B.C. Artists"
      Vancouver Province, May 10 1924

"Others exhibiting were Mrs. L. Gilpin ... "
      From "Private View Precedes Sketch Club Exhibition"
      Vancouver Province, November 30 1925

"Artist Inspired by Scenes of Northwest"
      News Herald, November 14 1934 by T.H.W.

"Mrs. Gilpin was an arts crazy of her time, a member and officer of every Vancouver organization in existence. She was also an artist, and a reproduction of one of her paintings serves as frontispiece."
      From STIGMA, List 80 - Canadian Literature
      n.d., catalogue by William Hoffer, bookseller
      Editor's note: Hoffer was noted for acerbic comments in his catalogues. He was selling Gilpin's volume for $20.00 in catalogue 80. Hoffer is now deceased, but remains a legend in Vancouver antiquarian bookseller circles.

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