Arthur Pitts took pleasure in recording his surroundings in watercolour during an era of black-and-white photographic documentation: Indigenous dancers bursting with energy in dimly lit interiors; portraits of Indigenous people as individuals rather than romantic archetypes; rustic buildings in pastoral landscapes; his first wife, Peggy, in tranquil, intimate sketches. Pitts left a record of time and place that continues to speak to us a lifetime later.

- Michael Kluckner, artist and author of Vanishing British Columbia

Arthur Pitts was a determined and talented artist who found his subject in contemporary Indigenous communities in British Columbia in the 1930s. He was not the first nor the last newcomer to do this, but as Kerry Mason's biography reveals, Pitts paid more attention than most. He spent time with the individuals he painted, and he was willing to learn from them.

- Susan Crean, author of The Laughing One: A Journey to Emily Carr

Kerry Mason has done us all a great favour by bringing this overlooked and unrecognized artist to life with such passion, conviction, and expertise. The remarkable life and work of Arthur Pitts will be welcomed by the W_SÁNEC (Saanich) people, and by many others in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, including cultural historians, art historians, and ethnographers.

- Richard Mackie, editor, The Ormsby Review, and author of Island Timber