John Eyre Coote Holmes (1879-1968)


Eyre Holmes
My Balinese Maid

oil on board
signed l.r., Eyre Holmes
1944
16 x 12 inches
18 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches (gilt frame)

$750

Eyre Holmes was born in Courtright, Ontario, Canada. He settled in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1937, after his wife and daughter died. The headstone on his grave refers to him as a "tennis pro." According to The Lost Colony: the Artists of St. Augustine, 1930-1950 by Robert W. Torchia, he studied art in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. He worked as a sculptor before taking up painting. He was a member of the art scene in St. Augustine, having a one-man show in 1944. He also continued to exhibit in Canada. A voyage to Bali was particularly inspiring to him. This painting would have been done then. His works are in the collection of the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine.