Sid Barron

Barron was born in Toronto on June 13, 1917, the son of Daisy Hilda Wormald. His family moved to Victoria in 1919 where he grew up around the shipping port at Victoria’s breakwater. He began working as an artist in 1940, painting in watercolour and tempera (as he was allergic to oil paints). His painting subjects were harbours, ships and beach scenes.

Barron worked in the Canadian comic book industry during the 1940s before entering the world of editorial cartooning. Known as “the poet of the mundane,” Barron soon transformed into "one of the funniest and most stylistically distinctive cartoonists to emerge in the post-war editorial cartoon world."[1]

Barron was married three times; he and his third wife married in 1977 and after numerous travels they moved to Coombs, BC in 1987 and opened their own studio and Country Gallery, which they operated for 10 years. Barron died at Mount St. Mary Hospital in Victoria, BC on April 29, 2006 at 88 years of age.

Collections of his work can be found at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the Glenbow Museum, the National Archives of Canada, the Okanagan Heritage Museum and in private collections in Canada and the USA.

• 1989 Portfoolio ‘89 Canadian Caricature, Macmillan, Toronto
• 1988 Portfoolio ‘88 Canadian Caricature, Eden Press, Montreal
• 1987 Portfoolio ‘87 Canadian Caricature, Guy Badeaux, Croc Publishing, Ludcom Inc. Montreal
• 1986 Portfoolio ‘86 Canadian Caricature, Guy Badeaux, Croc Publishing, Ludcom Inc. Montreal
• 1985 The Best of Barron, Lester & Orpen Dennys Ltd, Toronto
• 1981 Penticton International Auction of Fine Art, Penticton Arts Council, Penticton
• 1972 The Barron Book (With Puddytat Centerfold), Star Reader Service, Toronto
• 1968 A Scar Is Born by Eric Nicol, Illustrated by Barron, The Ryerson Press, Toronto
• 1967 Barron’s Calgary Cartoons Vol.1, The Alberton, Calgary
• 1960 2nd Annual Barron’s Victoria, Victoria Times, Victoria
• 1959 Barron’s Victoria: cartoons selected from the Victoria Times, Victoria
• 1965 “Barron's Toronto” Star Reader Service, Toronto
• 1958 B.C. Paintings: Burnaby 58 / [Alvin L. Balkind], Burnaby Centennial Committee
• 1944 “A Christmas Carol” for colouring, Educational Products Inc.

• 2010 June 19, “Barron Much More Than A Cartoonist,”, Robert Amos, Times Colonist
• 2006 May 15, “Sid Barron, Cartoonist 1917-2006”, Tom Hawthorn, The Globe and Mail
• 1998 Sat. Sept. 25, “Photos overlaid with paint may be ...”, Robert Amos,Times Colonist
• 1998 Tues. Mar. 24, “A Tale Of Two Well Known BC Artists”, Parksville Qualicum Beach News
• 1995 Fri.April 28, “Cartoonist Finds Joy In Painting”, Parksville Qualicum Beach News
• 1995 “Circle Show In For Good Cause”, Nancy Whelan, Parksville Qualicum Beach News
• 1994 Tues. May 24, “Coombs Gallery Home To Ten Artists”, Parksville Qualicum Beach News
• 1993 Aug. “Cartoonist Would Rather Be Great Painter”, Corinne Jackson, Island Senior
• 1993 May 2, “Coombs Couple Quietly Waiting to be Discovered”, Sandra McCulloch, Horizons
• 1992 Thur. Aug. 27, “Artists Capture Friends On Canvas”, Jane Lyons, P-Q Magazine
• 1992 Mon. May 11, Exhibition To Open At College Art Gallery, The Bulletin
• 1992 Tues. June 16, B2, “Arts Council Opens Ten Faces”, Parksville-Qualicum Beach News
• 1991 Tues. April 2, A29, “Local Artists Featured In Festival”, Parksville-Qualicum Beach News
• 1991 Sat. April 6, “Barrons Are Pros In A Neighbourhood of ...”, Robert Amos, Times Colonist
• 1990 June 15, “Barrons Bloom Anew”, Charles Hart, The Arrowsmith Star
• 1990 (exhibition review) Robert Amos, Times Colonist
• 1989 Jan. 25, “Sun Cartoonists Put On Show Over ‘ome”, pg.17, Financial Post
• 1989 August 12, “Way To Go, Sooke...”,Robert Amos, Times Colonist
• 1987 August 9, “Drawing Toronto from the Coast”, R.S. Diotte, Islander
• 1987 February 21, “Creative Output Of The Remarkable Barron”, R. Amos, Times Colonist
• 1985 “He Draws Anyplace”, Dan Smith, Toronto Star, Toronto
• 1985 October 17, “The Barron of Toronto”, Richard Van Dine, pg.9, Monday Magazine
• 1981 November 6, Exhibition Review, pg.9 Times Colonist
• 1979 Around The Galleries (exhibition review), Times Colonist
• 1979 Jan.11, “Cartoonist Gather To Hear Bierman Case...”, pg.43, Daily Colonist
• 1979 December 7, “The Call of the Loon”, Monday Magazine
• 1977 “Suburban Sid Finds Spain Palette-able”, Jim Gibson, Colonist
• 1977 February 19, Edmonton Journal, Edmonton
• 1977 Interview, Monday Magazine
• 1976 September 23, “Barron Painting on Show”, Victoria Times
• 1973 “Arrival of An Artist-And Other Thoughts”, Jack Scott, Victoria Times
• 1973 Feb.7, “Will The Real Etaoin Shrdlu Please Stand Up”, pg.19, The Victorian
• 1972 October, “Barronland” Introduction by Robert Fulford
• 1967 “Barron’s Fan Mail All Sizes”, Shapes, Bob Blansjaar, The Albertan, Calgary
• 1967 Dec. “Always with Kindness”, Tom Primrose pg.10, ?
• 1957 Dec.10, 17th Quarterly Group Exhibition, v.25 no.4, VAG Bulletin, Vancouver
• 1949 June 25, “In the Realm Of Art”, Palette, Vancouver Province
• 1949 June 21, “Watercolour Display, Breezy, Vivacious”, M. Valley Thornton, Vancouver Sun

• 1958-89 Syndicated Editorial Cartoonist
• 1979 Federation of Canadian Artists

• 1987-97 Co-owner of Barron’s Gallery, Coombs, BC
• 1961-89 Editorial Cartoonist for the Toronto Star
• 1961-66 Editorial Cartoonist for Maclean’s Magazine
• 1962 Editorial Cartoonist for The Albertan
• 1958-61 Editorial Cartoonist for the Victoria Times (Times Colonist)
• 1941-58 Commercial Artist, Neon Sign Designer, Illustrator for Educational Products Inc. Comics' Canadian Heroes, Union Steamships (Vancouver), and Billboard Painter (Toronto)

• Biography and examples of Barron's work at the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists