Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, James Keirstead served in the Canadian Army in Korea (1952-53) and the Ontario Provincial Police (1954-65). In Kingston he attended art classes at Queen’s University under André Biéler and Ralph Allen. He has been painting seriously since 1956 and earning his living from the sale of his paintings since 1965. Solo exhibits of his paintings have been held at Wallack’s Galleries, Ottawa; Gallery of Fine Arts, Jamestown, N.Y.; the Tygeson Gallery, Toronto; the Up and Down Galleries (his gallery) Kingston; The Rideau Gallery, Westport, Ont.; also in Montreal and Niagara Falls. Viewing his 1968 exhibit at the Wallack’s Art Galleries, W.Q. Ketchum of The Ottawa Journal noted “James Lorimer Keristead has many admirers in Ottawa. This is his sixth one-man show under Wallack auspices. Mr. Keirstead is primarily a landscape artist. In depicting the beauty of the countryside in the changing seasons he uses a palette knife with a lavish hand. His still lifes shows his obvious love of flowers which he paints with sensitivity. Viewers admired his canvas ‘The Maple’. ‘Old Frontenac Homestead’ captures the elusive charm of weathered buildings of bygone era. ‘Garage Wesport’ and ‘Along the Perth Road’ have a special appeal as well as “Hilltop Shack” which stands invitingly in the shroud of winter… He has within recent years attained a technical perfection with an unerring sense of both colour and composition.” Mr. Keirstead has given lectures, demonstrations, organized exhibitions, and taught art classes in many parts of Ontario. He lives in Kingston where he continues to be very active in the field of visual arts.
Source: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume 3: Jacobi-Lismer", compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1979
