Artist. A master of landscape painting, he sought to capture the rugged drama and grandeur of the Canadian wilderness in all its seasons. Thomson's style is marked by an eye for the unconventionally beautiful in nature, vibrant colors, flat patterns, and bold, powerful brushstrokes. He was associated with, and greatly influenced, the "Group of Seven," Canada's first nationalist school of painting. His best known work, "The Jack Pine" (1916), has become an iconic image of his nation's culture. Thomas John Thomson was born in Claremont, Ontario, and raised in Leith near Owen Sound. A self-taught artist, he developed his skills as an engraver in Seattle, Washington (1901 to 1904) and later as a commercial designer in Toronto. His close friend J. E. H. MacDonald encouraged him to paint seriously, but shyness prevented him from showing his early efforts. In 1912 Thomson chose to devote himself to painting after visiting Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park, which became his primary home and creative subject from then on. For most of each year he served in the park as a ranger and fishing guide while producing hundreds of small oil drawings of his surroundings. During the winters he lived in Toronto, where he created from his sketches the 25 or so large paintings he completed. The first to be exhibited, "A Northern Lake" (1913), was purchased by the Ontario government; the National Art Gallery in Ottawa would acquire three more during his lifetime. His other major works include "The West Wind," "Spring Break-Up," "Woodland Waterfall," "Opulent October," and "Snow Shadows." On July 8, 1917, Thomson set off on a canoe for a fishing trip at Algonquin Park's Canoe Lake, and was never seen alive again. His body was discovered in the lake eight days later. The death was ruled an accidental drowning, but the circumstances remain a mystery and a cause for speculation. He was 39 and on the threshold of international fame. Following temporary burial in the nearby Mowat Cemetery, his remains were brought back to Leith for interment in the family plot. In September 1917, a cairn in Thomson's memory was erected on the shore of Canoe Lake.