THOMAS CHATFIELD, 1921-1999
Born in
Toronto, Ontario in 1921, Tom Chatfield had an ambition as a youngster in
public school—to be a pilot. Before reaching high school, however, he was
‘grounded’ permanently, by his art teacher, Marjorie Hudgins. Long his
number one fan, Miss Hudgins saw enough potential in young Chatfield to
suggest art as a lifetime career. “She turned me on,” Chatfield admits. “I
forgot about flying and devoted myself to learning how to draw and paint
and it’s been my consuming commitment ever since.”
From
public school, Chatfield went to Northern Vocational High School which
provided him with a solid grounding through a spectrum of graphic forms.
Graduating from Northern, he landed a job in the art department of Famous
Players, Canada’s leading chain of motion picture theatres, where he
designed newspaper ads by day and, by night, attended the Ontario College
of Art.
Eight
years at OCA persuaded Chatfield he wanted to be a portrait painter, but
in the 1950’s, encouraged by a fellow-artist, he turned to landscapes and
once again his orientation took a definitive turn.
By 1959,
Tom Chatfield’s vigorously-painted landscapes were conveying enough
individual style and impact to encourage Toronto’s Upstairs Gallery to
stage his first one-man show. Since then he has had more than 30 one-man
shows across Canada. Resigning from Famous Players in 1967, he has been
painting full-time in his home-studio in Oakville, a few miles west of
Toronto.
A
charter member and past-president of the Society of Canadian Artist,
Chatfield has exhibited with that organization, along with the Royal
Canadian Academy, Ontario Society of Artists, Art Gallery of Hamilton,
Waterloo University, and was an award-winner in the 1969 “Artists’ Choice”
show as part of the Canadian National Exhibition.
Following his Upstairs Gallery debut, one-man shows by Chatfield have been
held in such Toronto Galleries as the Scottish Gallery (1962), Sobot
Gallery annually form 1964-69 and the Shaw-Rimmington Gallery (1970-71).
In
Oakville he has exhibited at the Upper Canada Country Club (1965) and
Arcade Gallery (1966). Shows were held in Edmonton’s Downstairs Gallery in
1969, 70, 71 and at the Hemingway Gallery in Jamestown, New York in 1969.
Damkjar-Burton Gallery exhibited his work in 1968-69 and the Damkjar
Gallery in nearby Burlington staged a show in 1971. His work was also
shown in the United States and at a major exhibition at Canada House in
London, England. For many years, Chatfield was represented by McLaren
Barnes Gallery in Oakville.
Chatfield was a long-standing member of the Toronto Arts and Letters Club
and a founding member of the Oakville Art Society.
SELECTED CORPORATE
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IBM
Head Office, Tehran, Iran
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Algoma
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Inn on
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Annaconda Brass, Toronto
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Jamestown Bank, Jamestown, NY
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Belgium Standard, Toronto
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Keevil
Mining, Toronto
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Brock
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Kennedy Agencies Ltd., North Bay, ON
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Canada
Trust, Toronto
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Lennon
Realty, Toronto
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Canadian Bankers’ Association, Toronto
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Mennon
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Radio, Niagara Falls, ON
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Northland Telephone Co., New Liskeard, ON
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Consolidated Morrison, Toronto
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Public
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Edward
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Stelco,
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Federal Exploration Ltd., Barrie, ON
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Toronto-Dominion Bank, Toronto
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Fraser
Research, Toronto
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Watt
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General Foods, Toronto
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Waterloo University, Waterloo, ON
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Gilbey’s, Toronto
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Willistead Art Gallery, Windsor, ON
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Greenshields, Toronto
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Gulf
Oil Co. Ltd., Toronto
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