Pit on the Riverbank | Dorothy Knowles
Pit on the Riverbank
Watercolour
Image size: 22 x 30 inches
Price: $1,800
Details: Signed lower right. Gallery label on verso.
Framed measurements: 28 X 36 inches.
Provenance: Private Collection, British Columbia; Canadian Art Galleries Ltd.
Condition: Excellent.
Additional Information and Photos Available Upon Request
Clouds | Dorothy Knowles
Clouds, 1971
Watercolour
Image size: 22 x 30 inches
Price: SOLD
Details: Signed lower right
Framed measurements: 28 X 36 inches.
Provenance: Private Collection, British Columbia
Condition: Excellent.
Additional Information and Photos Available Upon Request
Now in her 90s, Dorothy Knowles is one of
Canada’s most respected landscape artists
Biography
Dorothy Knowles was born in Saskatchewan in 1927 and grew up on a prairie farm. She remains one of that province’s most highly regarded artists.
After graduating from the University of Saskatchewan in biology, she took a summer art course that ignited her interest in art.
She continued to study art at the University of Saskatchewan and at the Banff summer school, before leaving to study in London, at the Goldsmith School of Art.
Fellow Saskatchewan artist William Perehudoff went to London in 1952, convinced Dorothy Knowles to marry him and the two travelled to Italy and France before returning to Canada.
Unlike her husband who is known for his abstract paintings, Dorothy Knowles was largely interested in landscapes, taking her inspiration from the scenes around her.
She had her first solo show in 1954 at the Saskatoon Art Centre, but found less time for painting while raising three daughters.
Dorothy Knowles returned to exhibiting in the mid-1960s, showing her work in galleries in Toronto and Saskatoon, and taking part in a group show at the National Gallery of Canada.
Since the 1970s, Dorothy Knowles has had dozens of solo exhibits, displaying her work almost on a yearly basis in galleries across Canada, as well as at least once in New York. A travelling exhibit of her work titled Land Marks included a prolonged stop at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection gallery in 2010.
Dorothy Knowles’ work has also been featured in numerous group shows, many of those focusing on Prairie artists.
Dorothy Knowles has consistently been known for painting from nature, working in watercolours, oil and acrylics, often on a large scale. In more recent years, she has worked on a smaller scale, explaining this is easier because of her age.
Her paintings have an airy, soft style. She doesn’t always fill every inch of a scene with paint, leaving plenty of air, whether she’s painting the sky, fields or rivers, often using soft green, blue and gold tones.
Dorothy Knowles has been honored with awards of merit for her lifelong achievements in art by the Province of Saskatchewan and the Canadian government, receiving the Order of Canada in 2004. Her paintings have been featured on Canada Post stamps and her work is held in dozens of public galleries and corporate collections.
Sources: Dorothy Knowles official website DorothyKnowles.com, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Canadian Encylopedia.
