Art & Painting

Roy didn't have a musical bone in his body, but he had an eye for art. As a youth in London, Roy's parents moved in the music and art circles of Britain and Europe. His father played the violin as a career but was also a talented painter whose oil paintings were beautifully executed. The impact of this early exposure to the art world resonated in Roy throughout his life and would create a desire to be surrounded by art and beauty.

During the depression, Roy was able to use his innate artistic ability and talent to create an income through pen and ink picture-puzzle drawings for the Sun newspaper of Vancouver. This was truly the beginning of his career in mass media.

Both an art collector and painter, Roy was fond of oil painting but also rose to the challenge of watercolours. He oftened worked at a draughting table in his home studio where canvasses, palettes, oils, brushes, watercolours, and a stunning collection of pen and ink supplies were kept. He had a keen eye and was able to readily draw caricatures and cartoons for the amusement of others. He fostered his children's artistic abilities, delighting in creating pen and ink drawings and caricatures for them. Occasionally, they returned from school to find a piece of their own art framed and mounted in the family home.

Roy attended numerous collectible and art auctions, always in search of unusual objets d'art — whether to add to his collections of Japanese netsukes and Inuit art carvings, or to invest in up-and-coming artistic talent. British and Canadian contemporary art and 19th century fine art paintings were of particular interest to him.