Tom Thomson Art Gallery Exhibitions

A small exhibition showcasing highlights of the Gallery's Collection of Tom Thomson works.

The Tom Thomson Art Gallery celebrates the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Group of Seven

An artistic alliance, the members of the Group of Seven were bound by their desire to record the Canadian geography in a new and distinctive way. They shunned prevailing European painting conventions and honed a fresh style that has become uniquely recognizable.

Although Tom Thomson died in Algonquin Park three years before the formation of the Group, his shared vision and camaraderie left a lasting impression on them. Some of these artists honoured that bond by donating their time and artwork to support the establishment of the Gallery in Owen Sound as a memorial to Thomson in the 1960s. Complemented by gifts of art from private collectors, and supplemented by a few acquisitions made possible through financial donations, the Gallery has assembled a nationally significant collection of artwork by Tom Thomson and members of the Group.

Showcasing the Gallery’s impressive collection, The View from Here takes you on a visual tour across the country as experienced by the Group. Using Toronto as their home base, they made short excursions to the countryside and rural villages to sketch. Becoming more adventurous, the painters followed Thomson to Algonquin Park and Georgian Bay. Later, the artists would journey to Algoma and Lake Superior, Quebec, the Maritimes, the Rockies, and the Arctic, in search of inspiration.

More than just captivating artworks, the paintings, prints, and drawings represent tangible connections between the members of the Group and Owen Sound, the legacy of community donors, and the importance of the Gallery’s collection within the larger Group of Seven story. The View from Here offers an intimate, local perspective on the artists that helped shape the Nation.

Curated by David Huff, Curator of Collections, Tom Thomson Art Gallery
with assistance from Joan Hawksbridge and Emily Dykeman

‘I closed my eyes, but the light was still there’ marks a new phase of exploration for respected Toronto-based artist, Steve Driscoll. Elements of his signature technique—painting with pigmented urethane—are evident, but have been presented with a twist. Driscoll has printed high-resolution photographs of his paintings on backlit glass. The effect infuses his work with fresh energy, illuminating his vision of the northern landscape. 

Light has been a source of study and inspiration for many artists. Tom Thomson was a master at capturing light at different times of the day and his en plein air oil sketches show a range of luminous colour, from the crisp blues, greens, and yellows of the northern lights, to the warm pastoral pinks and oranges found at sunrise. Driscoll shares Thomson’s fascination with light, but presents it in a contemporary way. He emphasizes luminosity and transparency by using glass which allows his gestural marks to stand out and reveals the layers of his process. His landscapes are colourful impressions of his experience in the wilderness. They are created using a combination of source photographs Driscoll captured on site, along with his memories of being in those locations. 

‘I closed my eyes, but the light was still there’ offers a glowing, hypnotic escape. The light pulsates through the trees and water, taking the audience on a journey deeper into the wilderness, beyond the surface of the glass, and towards recollections of precious moments outdoors. 

Curated by Heather McLeese

Image Credit: Steve Driscoll, All Motion Stopped, 2019. Digital print on laminated low iron glass, framed in LED aluminium light box, 79 x 94 x 2.5 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.

Emily Kewageshig: Mooshknemgog Bmaadziwin / Full Circle | July 27 to October 17, 2020

After becoming a mother in 2018, Emily Kewageshig reflected on how everything in life is cyclical; a concept informed by her Anishinaabe heritage. Like a circle, without a beginning or end, the earth orbits the sun, the seasons come and go in faithful order, and every living thing is bound to its life cycle.

The paintings in Mooshknemgog Bmaadziwin / Full Circle explore this theme through universal narratives of birth, death, and rebirth. The works offer poetic and shifting views of the natural world, combining traditional symbolism with imagery derived from the artist’s memories, dreams, and teachings to contemplate the concepts of holism and metaphysical essence. Stylistically, Kewageshig uses vivid colours and bold, graphic lines. These elements are characteristic of the Woodland Style developed by the First Nations from the Great Lakes area and popularized by artist Norval Morrisseau (Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabe) in the 1960s. She paints primarily with acrylic on canvas and live edge wood, but also uses oil and watercolour paints and in some instances, incorporates culturally significant materials gathered from the land.

Collectively Kewageshig’s work highlights the interconnectedness of all living things while promoting the need for harmony and balance so that the life cycle of each plant, animal, and person, can be preserved for the vitality of future generations.

Curated by Shannon Bingeman and Heather McLeese

Image Credit: Emily Kewageshig, Regeneration, 2020. Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.