West Wind: The Vision of Tom Thomson

Spring Ice, 1916

A documentary film festival was held this past weekend in our little town. One of the highlights was the film "West Wind: The Vision of Tom Thomson". We were honoured to have producer/director Peter Raymont and producer/researcher Nancy Lang here to tell us about the making of the film.

In Algonquin Park, 1914

Thomson is considered to be the greatest colourist among Canadian painters. He grew up on a hilltop farm overlooking Owen Sound, and the landscape that he saw every day as he grew up, that body of water lined by a distant shore, is a subject he was drawn to over and over again as an artist.

Sometimes sickly as a child, he was allowed to take a year off school, to roam the forests and streams near his home. He became an accomplished swimmer, hunter and fisher, and developed a special connection with the woodland habitat.

In the Northland, 1916

A special website has been launched that gives us access to over 200 of Thomson's drawings and paintings, as well as details about the film. Have a look, and see why Thomson is widely considered to be foremost among all Canadian painters, someone who has defined for all of us the beauty of the Canadian wilderness.