ARTIST: Tom Bjarnason (Canadian, 1925 - 2009)
TITLE: Illustration - Portrait of Dr. E. P. LaChapelle (titled on verso)
YEAR: 1980
MEDIUM: pastel on board
CONDITION: Minor foxing (just few spots).
ART SIZE: 17 x 17 inches / 43 x 43 cm
BOARD SIZE: 22 x 22 inches / 56 x 56 cm
SIGNATURE: lower left
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
LOCATION: This lot is located at our Dania Beach, FL office.
CATEGORY: old antique vintage painting for auction sale online
AD: ART WANTED: Consign, Trade In, Cash Offer
SKU#: 142572
BIOGRAPHY:
Tom Bjarnason was the last of eight children, born in 1925 at Winnipeg. His love affair with airplanes began the moment he got close enough to touch one.He studied commercial art at the Winnipeg Art School, then spent three years at the Meinzinger Art School in Detroit, Mich. He returned to Toronto to begin his lifelong career as a commercial artist. As a premier illustrator for Readers Digest and Star Weekly but also in other facets of art. In its March 1998 edition, Century Home Magazine featured Tom and his Studio.One of the highlights of his career was his commission by the Canadian Department of National Defense to travel to Germany to illustrate the activities of the Canadian Armed Forces for the Peacetime Artists Program. Many of these works are displayed in the collection of the National War Museum in Ottawa. His aviation paintings were published in popular Canadian magazines. Commissioned by the Department of National Defence's Canadian Armed Forces Civilian Artists Program (CAFCAP). From 1968 until 1995 this program recorded the forces in their peacetime roles both at home and abroad.Bjarnason's paintings are unusual in both style and composition. He layers on transparent ink and acrylic (often white) and renders outlines as part of the work. Although he has created lovely oil pastels, he avoided oil paints because of the drying time required to finish a canvas. Traditionally, aviation artists compose their craft in flight, with clouds and endless blue backdrops, but Bjarnason had a different vision. The majority of his planes are on the ground or just lifting off and juxtaposed with the people who work on them. His background in commercial illustration is apparent in his lines and strong original compositions. He enjoyed a busy career as a commercial artist which included the design of 21 stamps for Canada Post. He has nine paintings in the collection of the Canadian War Museum.
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