| ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Prolific painter William Leroy Stevenson was born in Guelph, Ontario in 1905. He moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1919. Predominantly self-taught, William took classes at the Calgary Art Club and studied drawing at the now Alberta College of Art and Design for two years. He also taught at the University of Calgary and the Banff School of Fine Arts.
A pioneer in the Canadian art world, William was ahead of his time, even being banned from the Calgary Art Association’s exhibitions for being too modern. At the time, his work was considered too flamboyant and uncontrolled and was off putting to traditionalists. Little did they know he would end up being considered one of Canada’s greatest modernist painters.
Working mostly in oils, William painted landscapes, although not from real life or sketches; they evolved in his studio from his imagination and memory. Heavy on the paint and brushstrokes, William’s paintings were meant to be intense and sought to grasp the invisible and contradict the norm.
William’s paintings have been exhibited across Canada and internationally. His paintings reside in numerous public and private collections throughout the province. William died in an automobile accident in 1966. |