Edge of Town

Private Collection, Ontario

Evoking the imagery of historic Toronto's peripheral communities, such as Earl's Court, the humble homes on their sloping property lines are given a grand presence with the long shadows cast by the low setting sun. Sheppard, a master of contrast while maintaining weightless quality to his compositions, employs impressionistic handling of the pigments and selecting non traditional colour palettes to represent light and shadow. Within each stroke of paint, layers of blue, violet and rose can be seen within the shadows of the homes and neighbouring structures countering the traditional use of heavy blacks and browns to capture the effects of light and atmosphere. Often likened to the techniques of the Group of Seven, Sheppard was a pioneer in Canadian impressionism, often turning to Toronto's urban and rural landscapes with a particular preoccupation with human presence within the landscape. He often represented this with tokens of everyday life – a humble home, bails of hay formed by farm hands, or the mechanisms and structures of Toronto's vital harbour. Within this work, Sheppard leaves the viewer with an insight into a history since past, the beginnings of a burgeoning city, and a weightless depiction of a grandiose achievement of man and industry.