| BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
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"John Innes, author, artist, soldier, cowboy, and an all-round good shot, good
sport and good newspaperman . . . ." is the description given in the editorial
column of the "Toronto Saturday Night" by the famous "Don" Sheppard. Mr. Innes
writes spasmodically, as the spirit moves him, and always of things he knows
intimately. That he has a fair working acquaintance with the West may be gathered
from the fact that everything from bronco-busting to editorial writing has
claimed his attention at some period or other since he came out ahead of the C.P.R.
As a painter his work has the authority that only actual experience can give.
His illustrations and cartoons appeared regularly in New York, Boston, San
Franciso, Chicago and other cities, as well as in Canada. He was a Sergeant in the
"Gee-gees by G", commonly known as the Governor-General's Bodyguard, the premier
cavalry unit in Canada. He holds the Queen's medal and three bars for South Africa,
and nurses a grudge against Old Man Time and General Disability for having conspired
to keep him out of the late unpleasantness. The reproductions of the oil paintings "A Touch of Autumn" and "In the Grip of the Frost," appearing in the illustrated section at the front of the book, are samples of the artists' favorite subjects. Many of his pictures have found a place in the homes of art lovers in many parts of the Empire. The pen and ink "Flanders Mud," appearing on page 24, was drawn specially for this number of "The Gold Stripe," the subject being suggested by the Editor. Mr. Innes, as stated before, nurses a grudge that he was not able to get over in person, that he keenly realized the situation is shown in this picture, which is true to life. |