Islands, Go Home Bay

Private Collection, Ontario

Naomi Jackson Groves, “A.Y.’s Canada: Drawings by A.Y. Jackson,” Toronto, 1968, page 108 Wayne Larsen, “A.Y. Jackson: The Life of a Landscape Painter,” Toronto, 2009, pages 51 and 55

Comprised of a cluster of islands, Go Home Bay afforded Jackson the opportunity to camp, fish and sketch all year round, often settling on the Western Islands. It was in this area where Jackson met Dr. MacCallum, on recommendation from Lawren Harris, in 1913. Dr. MacCallum had a cottage in the area and offered to have Jackson come stay along with financial support on the condition that he take a space in The Studio Building in Toronto. Jackson wrote fondly of his time at Go Home Bay, the time it allowed for him to visit with his cousins, the Erichsen Browns, and how he could get out his paints and create “a pine tree on a rock.” In this oil sketch of one of the artist’s favourite sketching spots, the viewer overlooks the bay and onto the layered high horizon line, with a token Jack Pine wistfully blowing in the wind in the distance. The peace and calm of the natural environment is highlighted by the lavender tone incorporated into the warm rocks and sky, creating harmony within the scene.