On a trail to interesting boulders along Lynn Creek, Uncle Weed enjoys beer, bread and cheese while exploring the impact of bohemian painter Fredrick Horsman Varley on West Coast art culture. Varley, a member of the venerated Group of 7, lived in Vancouver for 10 years during which he moved from Jericho to Lynn Valley with his student/muse/mistress Vera Weatherbie, while his wife and kids lived in Kits.
Anecdotes include: WW1 battlefield painting, trips to Algonquin Park with Tom Thompson, visits from Emily Carr, collaborations with photographer John Vanderpant, exhibits at the Tate in London and his later years with a short NFB film and CBC interviews in which he proclaimed his refusal to paint people who were too beautiful.
Hit the trail for Portrait of Varley ~ Choogle On! #104 (.mp3, 32:22, 30MB)
Bonus UncleWeed’s Varley Links Dave Olson’s Varley’s Vancouver: Discovering the city’s artistic heart in Frederick Varley’s past in Megaphone Magazine
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Hello Will, I must say, i am happily stunned by this comment. So glad to find a Varley enthusiast so far away… and to think you listened while walking the same trails as ole Fred is remarkable. I published a short version of the article in Megaphone magazine recently which you might enjoy and also have some more creative projects coming about this forgotten renegade.
So good to hear another Uncle Weed podcast.
Nice summary of the life and work of Varley. I enjoyed listening while skiing the shoreline of Georgian Bay this afternoon – sun on the mountains and storms in the distance – Varley might have found it interesting.
I am looking forward to further exploring a painter I have always felt was a kindred spirit.
Peace, from Manitoulin Island