Selwyn Dewdney
Selwyn Hanington Dewdney was a Canadian writer, illustrator, artist, activist and pioneer in both art therapy and pictography.
In 1936, he began teaching at Sir Adam Beck Secondary School, London, Ontario, but resigned in protest at the demotion of a colleague in 1945. This experience was the subject of his first novel, Wind Without Rain.
One of the first London artists to paint abstracts in the 1940s and early 1950s, Dewdney painted a number of murals on commission for several clients, including Sir Adam Beck Collegiate and Victorian Hospital.
With a growing family of three sons, he turned to illustrating books, writing, researching, editing and painting commissioned murals to support them. It was during this time that he became interested in art therapy when he was commissioned to illustrate Lionel Penrose's psychiatric 'M' test. In 1947, while working at Westminster Veterans Hospital in London, he began giving art instruction to some to the psychiatric patients. The positive results of this eventually afforded him the position of Psychiatric Art Therapist. He and his wife Irene were pioneers in the field of Canadian art therapy. His work, and particularly his wife's, led to the development of an art therapy training program at the University of Western Ontario in 1986.
Creator Id: 712Virtual Collection: Original CCCA
Beginning Year: 1909
Country of Birth: Canada
Province of Birth: Saskatchewan
Year of Birth: 1909
City: London
Country: Canada
Type of Creator: Writer
Ending Year: 1979
Gender: Male
Living Status: Deceased
Mediums: drawing, painting
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Work by Selwyn Dewdney
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