Donald Jarvis
Donald Jarvis
1923 - 2001
BCSFA CGP FCA RCA
Donald Jarvis was born in Vancouver in 1923, and remained connected to the area his entire lifetime. From an early age Jarvis had a passion for drawing, and aspired to be a cartoonist as a teenager. He enrolled in the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr Institute of Design) in 1941 and studied under B.C. Binning and Jack Shadbolt. After a hiatus, he returned to the school in 1946, and after being awarded an Emily Carr scholarship, completed his education in 1948. His talent was noticed by Lawren Harris, who suggested that he move to New York to pursue his painting with Abstract Expressionist artist Hans Hofmann. After his sojourn in New York, Jarvis returned to Vancouver in 1950 and had a solo exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The National Gallery of Canada acquired two of his canvases that same year.

Jarvis was a continual presence on the Vancouver art scene, both in galleries and in the classroom. His relationship with the Vancouver School of Art continued in 1950 when he became the Instructor of Painting and Drawing there. Later in his teaching career, Jarvis was appointed the head of that department and continued in this position until retirement in 1986.

Jarvis’s exhibition history is extensive, notably showing at the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and the New Design Gallery in Vancouver. He exhibited internationally, in multiple Canadian Biennials (1955, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963), the International Engraving and Drawing Exhibition in Lugano, Switzerland in 1956 and the Inter-American Exhibition of Painting and Graphic Art in Mexico in 1958. Jarvis was also awarded many distinguished honours during his career, including a Canada Council Senior Arts Fellowship in 1961, and was named an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1962, becoming a full member in 1967.

Jarvis died in Sechelt, BC in 2001.
HOW TO SELL
AVAILABLE WORKS
HEFFEL’S TOP RESULTS
Fire Image (2) by Donald Jarvis sold for $22,230
Donald Jarvis
Fire Image (2)
40 1/2 x 30 in, 102.9 x 76.2 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $2,500 - $3,500 CDN
Sold for: $22,230 CDN (premium included)
September 2008 - 3rd Session on Thursday, September 25, 2008
Fire Image (2) by Donald Jarvis sold for $11,875
Donald Jarvis
Fire Image (2)
40 1/2 x 30 in, 102.9 x 76.2 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $11,875 CDN (premium included)
Back to School: Vancouver School of Art on Thursday, September 28, 2023
Encounter II by Donald Jarvis sold for $8,850
Donald Jarvis
Encounter II
59 x 47 3/4 in, 149.8 x 121.3 cm
oil and Lucite on canvas
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $8,850 CDN (premium included)
March 2016 - 2nd session on Thursday, March 31, 2016
Winter Encounter by Donald Jarvis sold for $7,080
Donald Jarvis
Winter Encounter
30 x 40 in, 76.2 x 101.6 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN
Sold for: $7,080 CDN (premium included)
May 2016 - 6th Session on Saturday, May 28, 2016
Fire on the Shore (2) by Donald Jarvis sold for $5,265
Donald Jarvis
Fire on the Shore (2)
40 x 30 in, 101.6 x 76.2 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000 CDN
Sold for: $5,265 CDN (premium included)
June 2010 - 1st Session on Thursday, June 24, 2010
Leaf Figure by Donald Jarvis sold for $5,000
Donald Jarvis
Leaf Figure
50 x 36 in, 127 x 91.4 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000 CDN
Sold for: $5,000 CDN (premium included)
Back to School: Vancouver School of Art on Thursday, September 28, 2023
Figure in Night Forest by Donald Jarvis sold for $4,973
Donald Jarvis
Figure in Night Forest
67 x 48 1/2 in, 170.2 x 123.2 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $4,973 CDN (premium included)
March 2011 - 1st Session on Thursday, March 31, 2011
Red Figure by Donald Jarvis sold for $4,425
Donald Jarvis
Red Figure
50 x 36 in, 127 x 91.4 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $4,425 CDN (premium included)
September 2015 - 1st Session on Thursday, September 24, 2015
Winter Encounter by Donald Jarvis sold for $4,388
Donald Jarvis
Winter Encounter
30 x 40 in, 76.2 x 101.6 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000 CDN
Sold for: $4,388 CDN (premium included)
June 2010 - 1st Session on Thursday, June 24, 2010
Persephone by Donald Jarvis sold for $4,388
Donald Jarvis
Persephone
67 1/2 x 48 1/2 in, 171.4 x 123.2 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $4,388 CDN (premium included)
September 2011 - 1st Session on Thursday, September 29, 2011