Painter.

Thomson grew up on a farm in central Ontario and in a family that had musical and literary interests as well as hunting and fishing. Thomson worked for several years as a photo-engraver for companies in Toronto. He began painting only in 1906.

In 1907, while working for Grip, another Toronto company, he met some artists who encouraged him in his development. In 1912, Thomson sketched and painted for the first time in Algonquin Park, located in central Ontario, and in northern Ontario. The wilderness landscapes of forest, river, and lake immediately became his favourite subjects.

The next year, Thomson met a man who became his patron, and another artist, A.Y. Jackson, who became his mentor. In 1914, they painted in Algonquin Provincial Park with other artists who would become known as the Group of Seven a few years later. As he gained confidence with his brush, Thomson began an extravagant phase, using bold colours on his canvas. He wanted to capture the spirit, not the mere appearance, of wilderness Canada. He thought that strong colours captured the truth of nature in Canada.

He is famous today for combining great technical sense of colour with intense spirit for rock, water, tree, and sky. He felt that he was compelled to paint, whether he wanted to or not. His work is often thought of as a symbol of Canada. Especially well known are paintings titled Jack Pine (1916-1917), Red Leaves (1914), The Lake, Bright Day (1916), Swift Water (1917), and The West Wind (1916).

Reproductions of most of these paintings can be found on the website of The National Gallery of Canada. Click on 'Login as Guest' and then click on "Search"; then type in "Tom Thomson" and click on "Submit". About six pictures at a time will appear on your screen and there are twelve screens to look at. Go through them and look particularly for Jack Pine.)

Thomson was painting at his best and most productive in July 1917 when he suddenly died under mysterious circumstances. He had gone fishing in Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park ON, and did not return. His overturned canoe was found the same day and his body a week later.