The Life and Art of Jack Akroyd (Unheralded Artists of BC)

Exquisitely produced, the Unherladed Artists of BC series is an illuminating and inspiring resource for scholars, curators, artists and any reader with an interest in the diverse history of the visual arts in Canada.Bob MacIntyre, Preparator/ Exhibition Coordinator, Burnaby Art Gallery

Jack Akroyd (1921-1996) was born in Halifax, Yorkshire. Following war service in the RAF he emigrated to Canada and attended the Ontario College of Art. In 1953 he moved to the West Coast, working first as a draughtsman then a freelance artist. Two trips to Japan in the 1960s profoundly affected his perspective and iconography, and he developed a signature style he called the visual diary, which rendered details of his daily life, dreams and reminiscences in mysterious combinations. He exhibited at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Burnaby Art Gallery, and held three major shows in Japan, selling over a hundred works. He died of a heart attack on a Vancouver bus. His paintings are found in many private collections in Japan, Europe, Australia and across North America.