| ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Dorothy Painter Barnhouse was a painter, teacher and writer. Born in Burin, Newfoundland in 1914, she lived for a short time in British Columbia but resided in Edmonton for most of her life. Barnhouse describes her training in art as “haphazard.” She attended art classes at the University of Alberta in the 1930s and 1940s. She studied at the Vancouver Art School for two summers and at the Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; she also attended workshops at the Banff School of Fine Arts and in other more informal settings. Her work was influenced by other artists practicing at the time, specifically A.C. Leighton and Florence Mortimer.
Barnhouse was a member of two of Edmonton’s earliest arts organizations, the Edmonton Sketch Club and the Edmonton Art Club, and she was a long-time member of the Alberta Society of Artists. She collaborated with other artists on public murals, including one for the Edmonton Creche Society. She participated in shows in Alberta, Montreal and Winnipeg. Barnhouse practiced in many media but preferred painting with oils. She often painted landscapes and townscapes, occasionally referencing the Newfoundland countryside. She described her style as neo-impressionist. Her art is held in public collections such as those of the Edmonton Public School Board and the University of Alberta, as well as in the Poole Collection. Barnhouse worked for the Edmonton Journal as an art critic and writer. She died in 2005 at the age of 90.
Compiled 2014 |