Western Ontario Exhibition, 1952

Hang Works of K-W Artist

Featured at the 12th annual exhibition of western Ontario artists, which opened at the London Public Library last night, is a memorial exhibition of the works of Ralph Conner, Twin City industrialist and artist before his death a year ago.

Forty paintings of mr. Conner are on display in a separate room of the library.  The complete exhibition was opened last night by Andre Bieler of Kingston.  Mrs. Conner and G. A. Conner, son of the artist, were present.

Gallery has Art Display, 1957

Gallery has Art Display

An exhibition featuring the work of the late Ralph Conner, an artist who made an outstanding contribution to the growth and development of art in the Twin cities and whose influence spread throughout Canada, will open Friday night at the K-W Art Gallery.

Mr. Conner was born in England in 1895 and in early life used water colors as his chief medium.  He was overwhelmed by the difference in coloring and felt his former medium was unsuited to the Canadian landscape.  He turned to oils, finding great satisfaction in their richer colors and also became an advocate of use of the palette knife in painting.

A few years prior to his death in 1951 he returned to water colors using a technique similar to that of contemporary English painters.

His pictures have been hung by the Ontario Society of Artists, the Royal Canadian Academy, the Montreal Museum,  the Williams Memorial Gallery and have been exhibited all across Canada.  In 1931 he organized the Art Society of Kitchener and Waterloo.

Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Memorial Exhibition 1957

Ralph Conner (1895-1951)

Few professional artists and teachers of art have made such a profound impression on the artistic life of their community as did the late Ralph Conner.  And yet he called himself a Sunday painter.  He was always a student and never gave a formal lesson.  His paintings have been shown by the Ontario Society of Artists, the Royal Canadian Academy and in leading galleries across Canada.  Local collectors are proud to include one or more of his works.  Most local painters will testify to the value of his inspiration, encouragement and informal teaching and criticism.

Ralph Conner was born in Birkenhead, England in 1895.  His father was a painter of some ability.  Before coming to Canada in 1913 Conner had studied painting in watercolour.  In Canada, painting was for him an intensely absorbing hobby.  He was a successful furniture manufacturer, for some years up until his death in 1951, president of De Luxe Upholstering Company Limited.

In 1931, Conner was the prime organizer in the founding of the Art Society out of which grew the present Kitchener-Waterloo Society of Artists.  During the next twenty years he was out sketching almost every week-end and holiday.  In between he did masses of studio work of which only a small portion remains.  Many of his efforts, failing to please him, were consigned by him to the fire.

Rarely did Conner go out alone on his sketching trips.  His car was always filled with other sketching enthusiasts who were attracted to him and benefited from his assistance and friendly, witty and always frank criticism.

As an examination of his works will show, Conner was always an experimenter.  He tried new approaches and new methods inspired by a study of the works of others.  But by nature, he was not an imitator.  The results always showed his own individuality.

In association with the late Ross Hamilton and others, Conner did much to promote the fine annual exhibitions of local work by the Kitchener-Waterloo Society of Artists which started some years ago.  He also encouraged others to submit works to major exhibition elsewhere.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery is very proud to present in its opening season this fine memorial exhibition.



Western Ontario Exhibition, 1951

The 11th Annual Western Ontario Exhibition, May 4 - June 2, 1951 (note: the catalogue states 1951)

Western Ontario Exhibition, 1950

The 10th Annual Western Ontario Exhibition, held at the London Public Library and Art Museum, May 5 - June 4, 1950

Art Gallery of Hamilton, 1949

The Second Annual Winter Exhibition, held at the Art Gallery of Hamilton,  December 1 - 31, 1949

Art Gallery of Toronto, 1945

Ontario Society of Artists, 73rd Annual Spring Exhibition.  Held at the Art Gallery of Toronto, March 3 - April 1, 1945

Western Ontario Exhibition, 1941

First Annual Western Ontario Exhibition : A selection from the current work of professional and amateur artists of the Western Ontario peninsula at the Elsie Perrin Williams Memorial Public Library and Art Museum, London, Ontario.  June 13 - July 15, 1941.

Both Alfred and Ralph exhibited paintings here.

68th annual exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts

Royal Canadian Academy Show is Opened by Governor-General.

68th annual exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts held in the galleries of the Art Association of Montreal - November 1947. Listed under "others exhibiting" Ralph Conner


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London Library Exhibit Tribute to Late Artist

By Lenore Crawford

                The 40 paintings on view in the Williams’ Memorial Art Museum by Ralph Conner are the finest sort of tribute which could have been paid by the art gallery and the Western Art League to a man whose influence spread far beyond his own community of Kitchener.  For they tell graphically of the artist and within themselves hold the reasons for Conner’s influence.

                Born in Birkenhead, England, in 1895, he began painting in water color early in life and worked with Barker.  When he came to Canada in 1913 he was overwhelmed by the difference in coloring, felt the sort of water color work he did in England was unsuited to Canadian landscape.

*   *  *

                So, he turned to oil finding satisfaction in their richer  coloring.  Then he became advocate of the palette knife using it skilfully to produce paintings of individuality, with high-key effects of great interest.

                It was only a few years before his death in 1951 that Conner returned to water color work and he used to broad, robust washes similar to the technique of contemporary English painters.  In the intervening years his pictures had been hung by the Ontario Society of Artists and the Royal Canadian Academy, the Montreal Museum and the Williams Memorial.  His paintings had been shown from Montreal to Vancouver.

*   *   *

                In 1931 he organized the Art Society of Kitchener and Waterloo and was president for many years.  His business life was linked with art design for he was president of the De Luxe Upholstering Company Limited.  In both places he was known for his genial disposition and wit.

                The paintings, loaned by Mrs. Conner, provide a review of the artist’s work from 1931 when he did an old-fashioned type of oil, comparatively dark in color, with a wheat field as subject, to a sparkling still life done 20 years later.  The latter is one of the finest works in the exhibit, with its graceful composition skilfully arranged in dark and light tones, the dark ones possessed of a lovely softness.

*   *   *

                This softness is found again in a picture of an old distillery in water color and mauve shadows cast by over hanging trees are soothing in the otherwise brightly lighted painting of an old car on a road, done with a palette knife.

                Pattern interested Conner greatly.  He liked to portray boat works or a group of bottles and plates, making order in chaos. 

                Sometimes the pattern remained too cluttered; obviously the artist hated to leave out subjects.  He showed this tendency in some paintings of houses also.   But his best works have fine strength in pattern with details carefully chosen.

*   *   *

Perhaps the best example of this is “White Church at Doon” in oils.  Its prisms are cleverly manipulated, the coloring striking and telling, the mood firmly established.

“Solitude,” an excursion into portraying emotional or spiritual experience through some concrete objects, succeeds admirably.  The man’s humor is evidenced in “Television, Preston Highway.”  Finally, his self-portrait shows Conner saw himself as a serious man, but it is not nearly so telling as his other works.

The London Evening Free Press, May 17, 1952

WO Art Exhibit To Open Friday

LONDON – Andre Bieler, director of fine arts department at Queen’s University, will be the guest speaker at the opening of the annual Western Ontario Exhibition Friday at 8:30 in the Williams Memorial Art Museum.

                This will be Mr. Bieler’s first visit to the art museum and he will also be on the jury to select prize winners among exhibitors in the show.  Selections will be made Friday night and winners will be announced during the official opening.

                The 96 paintings to be hung are from 300 works submitted.  They represent a cross-section of the current work being done by professional and amateur artists in the south Western Ontario region.  Also on view will be two pieces of sculpture.

                In connection with the show will be a Memorial Exhibition to honour Ralph Conner, who exerted a strong influence on art trends in his own community of Kitchener and was an enthusiastic and valued exhibitor in the Western Ontario exhibitions for many years.  He presented the first award ever given to exhibitors.  The collection of 40 paintings will give a survey of his work over the years.

The Wallaceburg News, May 15, 1952

Manufacturer, Artist Dies

                Ralph Conner, 55, president of the De Luxe Upholstering Co., Ltd., Waterloo, and prominent Western Ontario artist, died last night in St. Michaels Hospital, Toronto, following a brief illness.  He resided at 835 Queen’s Blvd., Kitchener.

                Mr. Conner was stricken with a heart attack last week en route to Toronto.  He had been in hospital since.

Highly-Rated Artist

                One of Homer Watson’s first pupils, Mr. Conner painted for 20 years.  He was considered one of the best artists in Western Ontario.  His works have been shown in all the major art exhibitions across Canada.  At present his paintings are being shown in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

                Mr. Conner was a past president of the Kitchener-Waterloo Society of Artists.  His father was also a prominent artist.

                Born in England, he came to Canada as a child with his parents and settled in Kitchener.  He was employed by the old DeLuxe Furniture Co., on Gaukel St.  When the firm folded he went into partnership and took over the business, assuming the presidency.  The business was moved to King St Sout, Waterloo.

Belonged to Masons

                He was a member of the Masonic lodge.

                Surviving are his wife, the former Muriel Swartz; a son, Gerald A., Waterloo; a daughter, Mrs. George (Mary) Hale, Toronto; two sisters, Mrs. William Van Rooy, St. John’s, Nfld., and Mrs. A. W. Miller, Milwaukee, Wis., and five grandchildren.

                The body is at the Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home, pending funeral arrangements.

Kitchener-Waterloo Record, May 11, 1951

Conner Director of Art League

Ralph Conner, Kitchener artist whose paintings are well known throughout Ontario, was elected a director of the Western Art League at London, Ont., last night.

                Otway F. Hayden was re-elected president for the third successive year.

                In his annual report Mr. Hayden mentioned a record membership of 553.

                His report also pointed to the value of membership in the form of four demonstrations, invitations to all previews and an opportunity to participate in the annual Western Ontario Art Exhibition.

                The league decided that the names of jury members to choose exhibits for the annual exhibition will in future be made public.

                In previous years it was the practice to publish the  name of one professional member, the two non-professionals remaining secret.

Kitchener Record, June 10, 1949