Red House in the Snow

Oil on canvas mounted to board, signed.

Downes was born in Wigan, Lancashire, England. He studied with Amy Phelps and Wilfred Ball in England before immigrating to Winnipeg, Canada in 1912. There he studied at the School of Fine Arts in Winnipeg under the direction of Frank H. Johnston of the Group of Seven and with Charles Comfort and Hal Foster; at the Federal School of Design in Minneapolis and the Art Institute of Chicago. He sketched with Nicholas de Grandmaison, travelled by canoe, painting native scenes of the North. He painted with Arthur Lismer, R.C.A. (one of the group of Seven) and F. S.Coburn, R.C.A. He served as War Artist with RAF (1940-45) and later studied at the New York Art Students' League (1951-1953), directed by Louis Bouché, N.A., studying impressionism with L.Lemoyne Fitzgerald, and illustration with Charles Comfort, F.R.C.A. Working in pastels, oil and watercolor, Downes painted Québec Scenes, landscapes, figures and still life.

His paintings have been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts of Montreal, the Montréal Art Gallery, l'Art Francaise Gallery of Montreal, the Royal Canadian Academy, the Beaverbrook National Gallery of Fredericton, N.B., and the Israel National Gallery of Tel-Aviv.

In the United States he exhibited at the Palette and Chisel Club of Chicago, the Art Student's League of New York, and the Veerhoff Galleries of Washington, D.C.

Painting size: 12.5" x 10"
Frame size: 13.5" x 11"