Gerald Leopold "Gerry" Squires, (November 17, 1937 – October 3, 2015) was a Canadian artist. Best known for painting dramatic landscapes in acrylic and oil, Squires also produced major work in

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

and

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

. He was also an accomplished portraitist. Much of his work drew inspiration from the landscape and culture of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Training and career

Born in Change Islands,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

, Gerald Squires moved with his family to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

at the age of twelve. In Toronto, he attended Danforth Technical School, where his natural artistic talent was encouraged. He later took night classes at the Ontario College of Art & Design. Upon graduating from Danforth, Squires supported his art practice by apprenticing as a stained glass artist, and later worked as an editorial artist with the Toronto Telegram for several years. He exhibited his work in Toronto in solo shows such as ''St. Francis of Assisi and Related Subjects'', ''The Canticles of St. John of the Cross'', and ''The Wanderer Series''. Squires was also a founding member of the Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery in Oshawa, Ontario. In 1969, Squires quit his job at the Telegram and returned to Newfoundland. In 1971 he settled in an abandoned lighthouse in Ferryland, where he lived with his wife and two daughters. In Ferryland, Squires was an artist in residence and teacher for Memorial University of Newfoundland, and established a steel sculpture studio, Headland Studios, with fellow artist Stewart Montgomerie. Work from this period includes ''Studies in Steel'', ''Portraits'', and ''The Ferryland Downs Series''. Squires lived and worked in Holyrood, Newfoundland from 1983 onward. In the early 1980s, he created several major works for Mary Queen of the World Church, a process chronicled in the film ''The Newfoundland Passion'' by Arnold Bennett. In 1984, he received the Ted Drover Award for Achievement in the Visual Arts from the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council. He was made a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1999, and in 2003 received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. He was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Squires continued to produce paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures, and exhibits widely. Notable recent shows include ''Gerald Squires: Journey'', a 40-year

retrospective A retrospective (from Latin ', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in software development, popular culture, and the arts. ...

at the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador (1998), and ''Interior Light'' at the Emma Butler Gallery (2005). "''I Heard the Birch Tree Whisper in the Night''", a one-hour documentary film capturing Squires' life and completion of his final painting, was aired on CBC television in 2017. The film is directed by Newfoundland author and filmmaker, Kenneth J. Harvey.

Notes

External links

Gerald Squires's website
* ttp://www.cbc.ca/artspots/html/artists/gsquires/ CBC Artspots: Gerald Squires {{DEFAULTSORT:Squires, Gerald 1937 births 2015 deaths Canadian painters Members of the Order of Canada People from Holyrood, Newfoundland and Labrador Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts