Tom Thompson Gallery Owen Sound Ontario.

After visiting the Art Gallery of Ontario and seeing a glimpse of Thompson’s work, I decided to delve deeper. The Tom Thompson Gallery is in Owen Sound and is just over two hours by car from Toronto.

Thompson, not a founding member of the Group of Seven, but a close friend to the group makes expressive works in both brushstroke and palette, and unique in texture.

The Gallery was a small room, but packed with wonder.

The expressive nature of his work and, the textural approach he adopts when depicting trees and landscapes, are outstanding to me. Thompson creates light and dramatic skies with atmospheric vistas using oil on wood panels.

A connection to nature and, reminding me of Van Gogh or Cezanne maybe? When I view any of Thomson’s works, he captures the vastness of Canada as if he has hiked miles to get that one view for his painting. Has he waited for the sunrise or sunset, to add the crimson, wedgewood blue or pale teal hues to the background or sky?

The glorious colour palette, lonely distant mountains and icy waters, the tangerine, and pale umber textural sky make Thompson's works timeless. I spent over an hour viewing and reflecting on Thompsons works and the textural stokes of natural subjects.

Path behind Mowat Lodge - 1917 -Oil on wood.

What strikes me most with the work is the essence of place that Thompson captures. Deep connection, I am seeing and feeling those dynamics of weather, the earth, and sheer serendipity that must influenced Thomson. These paintings are the experiences of just being alive in that environment. The light and shadow married with the visible textural strokes, allows the viewer to be taken to that place and feel the power of nature.