Peter Maxwell Ewart 1918-2001 Rocks and Surf

PETER MAXWELL EWART ( 1918 – 2001 )
Title ” ROCKS and SURF ”
Size 16″ x 20″ ( 27 5/8″ x 23 1/2″ framed ) ………$1295.00 Canadian
Provenance:
Waddingtons
Private collection Ontario

A brief artist biography taken from the label of our other Peter Ewart painting;

PETER EWART
Peter Ewart was born in Kisbey, Saskatchewan, but was brought up in Montreal. In the summer of 1929, as an 11 year old on a vacation trip to the West with his father, the scenic grandeur of the Central Interior of British Columbia left a lasting impression. He studied art in both Montreal and New York. In World War II he was stationed in British Columbia and, when discharged, returned to stay and become one of Canada’s best known painters of the West.

In addition to the attached label…….

Although Peter Ewart was born in Kisbey, Saskatchewan in 1918, his formative years were spent in Montreal, Quebec. His father was an amateur painter and photographer who encouraged his son’s interests in the arts and the outdoors. In 1938, he was able to attend the Commercial Illustration Studio in NYC, having chosen the more practical profession during the Great Depression. He then returned to Montreal to work as a freelance commercial artist for advertising companies like the Canadian Pacific Railway and Airlines, completed 24 travel posters for the latter (included in Canadian Pacific Posters 1883-1963).

During the war, Ewart enlisted as a wireless operator. While posted at Calgary and the West Coast of B.C., Ewart used his free time to sketch landscapes of the surrounding area, including Banff. After his discharge in 1946, the artist returned to Montreal to resume his commercial work. However, Ewart’s true interests lied in the fine arts, eventually becoming an artist of the Stevens Art Gallery (later Continental Galleries). Two of his early paintings of mountain landscapes and seascapes were hung in the Spring Shows of the MMFA.

In 1948, Ewart moved to Vancouver, B.C. where he then married. First employed by O’Brian advertising, the artist dealt his works to the Alex Fraser Galleries. After working for Smith Lithograph in 1950, Ewart began painting figures, particularly single riders. He has been a professional artist since 1955, producing up to 100 paintings a year. In 1962 Ewart held his first highly successful solo show, holding annual shows at Fraser’s until 1977. Throughout his career, the artist has participated in many other solo shows as well as group shows. By the end, Ewart had travelled much of B.C., observing and recording the country around him in his paintings. The artist has since been represented in many Canadian and international collections both before and after his death in 2001.

Biography by Katelin H. B.A./B.Sc.