A native of Sheffield, England, F.H. Varley first studied art at the Sheffield School of Art. Additional study was undertaken in the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. In 1912, Varley emigrated to Canada and found employment in the field of commercial design, first at Grip Ltd., Toronto, and later at Rous and Mann.
After serving as an official war artist during the First World War, Varley turned increasingly towards painting the human figure, although the landscape remained an artistic subject.
When Varley moved to Vancouver in 1926 he continued passionately with his figural works, but found new inspiration in the mountainous landscapes of the West Coast. In 1936, he returned east, painting in Ottawa for four years, and travelling to the Arctic in 1938. He finally returned to Toronto in 1945, continuing to paint and eventually taking up residence in the Unionville home of Donald and Kathy McKay from 1950 until his death in 1969.
This biography on Frederick Varley is from the McMichael Art Gallery`s website.
