The descriptions are based on the artist’s own descriptions of content and highlight sketches and drawings related to his artwork.
Volumes have been numbered by the archives for the purposes of identification only.
Robert Fones (born in London, Ontario, 1949) is a visual artist, curator, writer, designer and educator. Employing a strong ethnographical and archaeological component in his work, Fones uses sculpture, painting, woodblock printmaking, typography and photography to investigate the transition from manual to industrial production, and the hidden processes and impacts of geological and cultural change within contemporary society. Since 1976 he has lived and worked in Toronto, represented variously by Carmen Lamanna
Gallery, S.L. Simpson Gallery and (currently) Olga Korper Gallery. He has exhibited at artist-run centres and public institutions throughout Canada and, internationally, in the USA and Germany. His work is held by the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario and other public and corporate collections. Fones is an active participant in the visual arts community, having served on the board of the Art Gallery of Ontario, C Magazine Foundation and the Acquisitions Committee of the Design Exchange. He curated an exhibition for The Power Plant on the work of Toronto furniture designer, Russell Spanner, and Cutout: Greg Curnoe, Shaped Collages 1965–1968 for Museum London. He has written extensively
about art and artists such as Greg Curnoe, Murray Favro, Donald Judd and John Massey. Fones has taught at OCAD University, the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto, and in the Art and Art History Program at Sheridan College. He has published numerous reviews and articles in Vanguard, C Magazine, Parachute and other publications, published several artist books, participated in several poetry readings across the country; and undertaken several design and public art projects. He received the Toronto Arts Award in 1999 and the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2011.
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Edward P. Taylor Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario
Series is comprised of the sketchbooks used and kept by Robert Fones. The volumes primarily contain sketches and drawings, often related to specific artworks, design projects or artist book works. Some of the sketchbooks, as noted in the descriptions, contain finished drawings that the artist has chosen to leave intact within the sketchbooks. The sketchbooks may also contain some diaristic writings, personal reflections and technical notes, thus there is some overlap with the journals especially in earlier volumes. Also included in this series are several colour mixing books used by Robert Fones, which consist of colour mixing formulas for several of his artworks, as noted in the descriptions.
The sketchbooks have been arranged roughly in chronological order based on the earliest date of each volume. The colour mixing books are listed at the end, also in chronological order. The date ranges to each sketchbook and colour mixing book are based, wherever possible, on dates found within or on the covers of each volume. The artist also supplied dates retrospectively. In cases of contradictory dates, dates found in the journals were used.
Further accruals expected
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Copyright is held by the creator. Copyright belonging to other parties may still rest with the creator of these items. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of this fonds/collection
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Contains family tree chart; sketches related to Schematic Drawings exhibition at Carmen Lamanna Gallery, 1983.
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Pages have been removed by artist
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Contains notes and layouts for Field Identification; floor plan of Coach House Press; continuous letter forms related to Ductus Scripts.
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Contains sketches for Little g Block (1985), Ductus Scripts sketches; notes and sketches related to Royden Rabinowitch sculpture Elonges de Fontenelle for review in Parachute.
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Pages have been removed by artist
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Contains sketches related to Ottawa River rapids photographic works; Ductus Scripts, Field Identification; Big g, Little g (1985).
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Sketch for Little g Block, La Chaudiere, Big g, Little g, Six Ts, shaker table for Margaret Atwood; studies of linenfo
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Pages have been removed by artist
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Contains sketches for beveled photographic works with incised letters.
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Pages have been removed by artist
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Contains sketches for continuous letter forms; beveled photographic works; Platonic Solids; public art proposal for Richmond Street at Jarvis, Toronto. Contains finished gouache drawing of flattened running shoe.
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Pages have been removed by artist
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Contains sketches for Said but not present in; notes on Russell Spanner; sketches of plywood base for beveled photographic works; watercolour sketches for proposed painting.
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Designs for Mercer Union 10th Anniversary logo, McCabe logo. Sketches related to Insert/Press/Deposit, Order and Control, public art proposal for Richmond and Jarvis. Notes on Ductus Scripts and Range Maps.
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Date based on date of last drawing in book. One page is loose from binding
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Sketches Rapid Typesetting logo, S.L Simpson Gallery lettering, letterforms from Lapidary Gallery, Vatican, Trajan
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Sketches for All Star Games banners; for work for Carambolage exhibiton in Baden Baden, for Franktur double f, watercolour sketch of pattern used in Eszett with Terracotta Ornament.
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Sketches and layouts for All Star Games banners, watercolours of reflections on water.
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One page is loose from binding, pages may have been removed by artist.
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Six gouache drawings, including one of leaf motif and one of banner with ends split.
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Sketches and notes related to Gottingen Model Book, travels through Europe
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Watercolours of zinc letterforms; notes from residency at Canada Council Paris Studio; colour formulas for Bateau Lavoir, Vivres Libres ou Mourir
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Drawings of type from Imprimerie Chaix; sketches for Head Paintings series, and Brick magazine logo
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One page is loose, several pages removed by artist.
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Used during residency at Canada Council Paris studio. Sketches, notes and drawings for Niche paintings; sketches for Oeufs de Poules (1991)
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Finished gouache drawings of sign letters, Paris, water drops copied from The Baroque of Dante by Delacroix; various still life drawings; preliminary sketches for Head Paintings series.
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Pages loose from binding
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Notations and sketches for letters in Niche paintings, for Head Paintings series
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Two loose sheets in front of volume.
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Sketches and gallery floor plan for layout of Head Paintings series.
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Sketches for Metro Toronto Convention Centre public art proposal.
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Finished gouache drawings of oven-dried tomatoes, letter forms. Sketches for Metro Toronto Convention Centre public art proposal; of Old Hickory cleaver from The Pancakes, Georgian Bay. Studies for Head Paintings series and Beveled Blocks paintings
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Notes and/or sketches on Pompeiian still-life painting, Villa des Misteri, Assisi, Jacob Wrestling with an Angel by Delacroix. Watercolour sketches for paintings, including Head painting series
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Finished watercolours for C Magazine and of letterforms.
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Notes on Mondrian exhibition at MoMA; sketches for beveled paintings and of Donald Judd
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Sketches for date block paintings, of dragonfly, deer, of trees for Hunting Scene, for G, S, Y type paintings, and for beveled paintings. Measurements of Baycrest Centre for installation of Hunting Scene; notes for trip to Cologne; colour mixing formulas for Blue, Red, Grey, Green, Yellow, Grey
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Sketches for Beveled Blocks paintings, Fones/Caslon font, Donald Judd
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Sketches for Beveled Blocks paintings, lathed letter sculptures and shelves, of letter forms, banners; sketches and layouts/plans for Steele Block and Date Block paintings; notes on wall paintings from Pompeii
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Sketches for radial sculptures, Oakville Gallery banners, Rauschenberg S / Grande Parisienne, Basket Weave paintings, Dundas Square public art proposal. Notes for artist talk at St.-Jean-Port-Jolie, Quebec
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Sketches for Dundas Square public art proposal, Metro Toronto Convention Centre banners, G, S and Y type paintings, for Baycrest Centre Hunting Scene public art project, and House Guests exhibition
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Sketches for Beveled Blocks paintings, and possibly Scrivener Square public art piece; layouts for Walruses and Meteorite.
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Sketches for Hunting Scene (Baycrest Centre), Scrivener Square public art commission, Childless (House Guests exhibition), Barr Gilmore
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Loose sheet in front of volume.
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Notes from Paris and on Palais Royale, for review John Massey exhibition, for Range Map prints; sketches for Scrivener Square public art commission, Radio City public art commission, and of Calypso letters.
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Sketches for Beveled Blocks paintings; design for drawer fronts of taboret; watercolours for paintings
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Sketches for Scrivener Square; notes on Calypso typeface; fluorescent tube layout for Isabel. Only partially filled.
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Gouache drawing for Draft of Fishes painting; watercolours of flower stems,
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Finished watercolour and gouache drawings for proposed paintings, including some beveled paintings
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Finished watercolours of folded material, and Calypso letters
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Sketches of
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Watercolours for
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Watercolours of letters with sun-dappled shadows from first edition of Darwin
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Drawings of letterforms and letters from Fones/Caslon font; colour formulas for Niche paintings
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Colour formulas for Head Paintings series
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Colour formulas for Gordon
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Colour formulas for Beveled Blocks paintings and G, S, and Y type triptychs
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Colour formulas for Iron Bridge, Koerner 50, G, S and Y type triptychs, Calypso letters, Sixteen G, S and Y Types.
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Colour formulas for Sifto repair; Leviathan bookmarks; Ten Splint Wheel, 2006; Ten Splint Wheel (Ten Colours), 2006; Leviathan watercolours; G, S and Y Types; Leviathan mobiles; Hyphen Dash Mailbox, 2008; Red M (Malevich), 2010; Yellow En (Le Corbusier), 2010; Grey R (Rodchenko), 2010; Origin Bookmarks; Liquorice Allsorts Man (1922 Version); Origin Bookmarks, 2nd Series; Such Glorye, 2011; Counties 1 model; Counties 2 model; Maggs 85, May 2011; Counties 2, 2011.
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Colour formulas for Counties 1, 2011; Counties 2, 2011; Rivers of Thanckes; Hath No Such Glorye; Which All To Nothing; Retourne for Springes; The Sonne by Whom; Where Correspondencie; Earth When It Doth Ayre; The Prince of Light.
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Colour formulas for Thunder the Ymage; The Boundless Ocean; Counties 3; Derek.
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