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We found it. We painted it. We loved it. “It” is
                                        nature, and few places are as unspoiled.


                    e began our journey just outside Toronto by visiting   swept trees against Ontario’s ever-present lakes, or monu-
                    the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in the for-  mental landscapes where light becomes a spiritual beacon, or
            Wmer home of Robert and Signe McMichael, who were    mountain scenes that reveal vast, rugged wilderness. Their
            avid collectors of works by the Group                                  art was revolutionary at the time and
            of Seven.                                                              many say it contributed to the Canadi-
                                                                                   an identity.
            The Group of Seven -- Lawren Har-
            ris, J.E.H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer,                                  It certainly inspired us, a group of six
            Frederick Varley, Frank Johnston,                                      dear friends from all over the Unit-
            Franklin Johnston, Franklin Carmi-                                     ed States who were traveling to the
            chael and A.Y. Jackson -- were original-                               Temagami region of Ontario to take
            ly influenced by Tom Thomson whose                                     part in a watercolor workshop led
            artwork celebrated the pristine nature                                 by Caryn Colman of Smoothwater of
            of Ontario’s wilderness.                                               Temagami.

            Thomson’s  untimely  death  in  1917,                                  We were simply astounded to learn that
            still  a  national  mystery,  prodded  the                             Ontario boasts more than 250,000
            artists to join together; their first                                  lakes -- one-third of this inland prov-
            Group of Seven exhibition was in 1920.                                 ince is freshwater.

            “In Thomson’s artwork, the land is the                                 Temagami is one of the province’s most
            thing,” noted Stephen Weir, who led                                    beloved wilderness areas. Lake Temag-
            us on a tour of the McMichael galleries.                               ami, the biggest lake in the region, has
            “He captures the spirit of the north; a                                more than 1,200 islands.
            Canadianness no one had done before.”
            Thomson and the Group of Seven are                                     It is said that Canada’s famed conser-
            still Canada’s most famous artists.                                    vationist of the 1920s, Grey Owl, be-
            Their gorgeous canvases depict wind-                                   gan his odyssey in Temagami when he


            54    Wine Dine & Travel  Summer 2014
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