John Ford Clymer
(1907 - 1989)

JF Clymer Biography
(1907 - 1989)

Born in Ellensburg, Washington, USA, he attended the Vancouver School of Art in 1925 and the Summer School of the Ontario College of Art, Port Hope. He took instruction from George H. Southwell and F. H. Varley at Vancouver, and J. W. Beatty in Toronto. He was principally a magazine illustrator for 34 years working mainly in oils in a realistic style.

During the 11 years he spent in Canada he worked for the Western Home Monthly, Canadian Home Journal, MacLean’s Magazine, Chatelaine, Toronto Star Weekly, and the Canadian Magazine. When time permitted, he painted out of doors. Graham McInnes over thirty years ago noted Clymer’s imaginative paintings were becoming too stylized but also stated, “The bold sweeping thumb daubs of his oils are a pleasure, while his surprising and timely restraint and delicacy, temper the massive gouts of colour into a finished whole.”

In the United States he studied at Wilmington Academy of Art, Delaware; the Grand Central School of Art under Harvey Dun, and spent a period of instruction under the late N. C. Wyeth. His illustrations appeared in Good Housekeeping, Field and Stream, True Magazine, and the Saturday Evening Post which he illustrated for 16 years. While a member of the United States Marine Corps he painted a series of episodes in Marine Corps History during World War II which were widely used and exhibited.

He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy, the Ontario Society of Artists, Salmagundi Club and The Society of Animal Artists of New York. He painted the American Cyanamid Calendar for over 20 years. His outstanding painting of the St. Roch, first vessel to sail around North America, wintering in the Northwest passage, was reproduced on the last page of Canadian Art, No. 75. It is owned by Seagram’s distillery. Clymer lived at Bridgewater, Conn., USA.

Source: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume I: A-F", compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1977