Devil's Club, circa 1940 by William Percival Weston
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Cowley Abbott
326 Dundas St West
Toronto ON M5T 1G5
Ph. 1(416)479-9703
Weston P. Weston
Devil's Club, circa 1940
oil on canvas
signed lower right; signed and inscribed "1419 Dogwood Ave., Vancouver, BC" on the reverse
30 x 37 in ( 76.2 x 94 cm )
Auction Estimate: $20,000.00 - $30,000.00
Private Collection, Manitoba
Sigvaldson Fine Art, Manitoba
"33rd Annual Exhibition", British Columbia Society of Fine Arts, Vancouver Art Gallery, 15 May-6 June 1943, no. 66
"2nd Annual B.C. Artists' Summer Exhibition", Vancouver Art Gallery, 2 July-25 August 1943, no. 19
"64th Annual Exhibition", Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Musée de la Province de Québec; travelling to the Art Association of Montreal, 5 October-27 November 1943, no. 116 as "Devil's Club" at $150
"W.P. Weston One-Person Exhibition", Western Circuit, Calgary, travelling to Edmonton; Regina; Saskatoon; Winnipeg; Vancouver, 1944-1945
J. Delisle Parker, 'In the Realm of Art: Fine Creative Spirit Marks Exhibition by B.C. Artists', "Vancouver Daily Province" (21 May 1943) mentions "New phases appear in the exhibits by W.P. Weston, A.R.C.A., especially in the color, simplicity and subtle rhythm running through his 'Devil's Club'."
This painting is a striking depiction of Devil’s Club, a plant known for its large, spiky leaves and deep green foliage. The composition focuses on the intricate details of the plant, with broad, sharply lobed leaves overlapping each other in a layered, organic pattern. The rich green hues contrast against the dark trunk and shadowed depths of a forest. Devil’s Club is a medicinal and culturally significant plant in Indigenous traditions of the Pacific Northwest, often associated with protection and healing. Its thorn-covered stems make it both a defensive plant and a symbol of resilience.
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William Percival Weston
(1879 - 1967) Canadian Group of Painters, ARCA, BCSFA, RBA
Born (1879) and trained in London, England, William P. Weston settled in British Columbia, Canada in 1909 and took the position of art teacher at King Edward High School. He continued to teach until his retirement in 1946 and thus did not rely on painting as his primary source of income. Weston was a member of several groups and associations including the Royal Canadian Academy, the Canadian Group of Painters (formerly the Group of Seven), and the British Columbia Society of Fine Artists. Considered rather innovative at the time, Weston's interpretation of the BC landscape was imaginative and had a strong sense of style and vitality.
