Eldon Grier
Encyclopedia
Eldon Grier was a Canadian
poet and artist.
Grier was born in London
, England
and raised in Montreal
, Canada
. He died at the age of 84 in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. His father was Charles Brockwill Grier and his mother was Kathleen Phyllis Black Grier. His father was captain in the Canadian army. Following his service in the army Charles became a stockbroker and proceeded to send his son to private school. Grier married his first wife [Elizabeth Temple Jamieson) in 1944 and his daughter (Sharon) was born in 1948. Elizabeth and Charles were divorced in 1952 and Grier married his second wife Sylvia Tait
in 1954. They had two children together, a daughter named Alexa and a son named Brock. Grier was diagnosed with tuberculosis
in his mid-thirties and underwent treatment for two years before he recovered.
Grier started his career as an artist. At age seventeen Grier failed to find financial stability through art. In 1945 he travelled to Mexico to study fresco painting from Alfredo Zalce. He was apprenticed to Diego Rivera
as a plasterer. He later became a professor at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts under Arthur Lismer
.
Eldon Grier travelled Europe from 1955 to 1965. Grier spent his winters in Mexico. He began writing poetry in Spain in 1955. Grier decided to become a poet because he felt that meaning was expressed more effectively though words. He was a modernist. His poems manipulate lines shifts, rhyme and contain complicated stanzaic shapes.
Grier is best known for his poems regarding travel and art. Grier’s early poems were influenced by Louis Dudek
and Ralph Gustafson
. His later works have been compared to those of Al Purdey. Grier has written many poems to painters and sculptors. His poems focus heavily on visual imagery and colours. In 1997 Grier was made a life member of the League of Canadian Poets
.
Grier's best known works are: A morning from scraps (1955), The year of the sun:poems (1956), The ring of ice (1957), Mazanillo & other poems (1958), A friction of lights (1963), Pictures on the skin (1967), The women of Quebec (1969), Selected poems:1955-1970 (1971), and The assassination of colour (1978).
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
poet and artist.
Grier was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and raised in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He died at the age of 84 in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. His father was Charles Brockwill Grier and his mother was Kathleen Phyllis Black Grier. His father was captain in the Canadian army. Following his service in the army Charles became a stockbroker and proceeded to send his son to private school. Grier married his first wife [Elizabeth Temple Jamieson) in 1944 and his daughter (Sharon) was born in 1948. Elizabeth and Charles were divorced in 1952 and Grier married his second wife Sylvia Tait
Sylvia Tait
Abstract painter Sylvia Tait , who lives in West Vancouver, is one of Canada's senior artists of international status. Born in Montreal, she studied for years at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts under Arthur Lismer, Jacques de Tonnancoeur and Eldon Grier...
in 1954. They had two children together, a daughter named Alexa and a son named Brock. Grier was diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in his mid-thirties and underwent treatment for two years before he recovered.
Grier started his career as an artist. At age seventeen Grier failed to find financial stability through art. In 1945 he travelled to Mexico to study fresco painting from Alfredo Zalce. He was apprenticed to Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
as a plasterer. He later became a professor at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts under Arthur Lismer
Arthur Lismer
Arthur Lismer, CC was an English-born Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven.-Early life:At age 13 he apprenticed at a photo-engraving company. He was awarded a scholarship, and used this time to take evening classes at the Sheffield School of Arts from 1898 until 1905...
.
Eldon Grier travelled Europe from 1955 to 1965. Grier spent his winters in Mexico. He began writing poetry in Spain in 1955. Grier decided to become a poet because he felt that meaning was expressed more effectively though words. He was a modernist. His poems manipulate lines shifts, rhyme and contain complicated stanzaic shapes.
Grier is best known for his poems regarding travel and art. Grier’s early poems were influenced by Louis Dudek
Louis Dudek
Louis Dudek, OC was a Canadian poet, academic, and publisher known for his role in defining Modernism in poetry, and for his literary criticism. He was the author of over two dozen books...
and Ralph Gustafson
Ralph Gustafson
Ralph Barker Gustafson, CM was a Canadian poet and professor at Bishop's University.- Biography :He was born in Lime Ridge, near Dudswell, Quebec on August 16, 1909. His mother was British, his father Swedish. He was educated at Bishop's University, earning a B.A...
. His later works have been compared to those of Al Purdey. Grier has written many poems to painters and sculptors. His poems focus heavily on visual imagery and colours. In 1997 Grier was made a life member of the League of Canadian Poets
League of Canadian Poets
The League of Canadian Poets , a non-profit arts service organization, is the national association of professional publishing and spoken word poets in Canada...
.
Grier's best known works are: A morning from scraps (1955), The year of the sun:poems (1956), The ring of ice (1957), Mazanillo & other poems (1958), A friction of lights (1963), Pictures on the skin (1967), The women of Quebec (1969), Selected poems:1955-1970 (1971), and The assassination of colour (1978).