Laura Brandon, "Pegi by Herself: The Life of Pegi Nicol MacLeod, Canadian Artist", Kingston/Montreal, 2005, pages 62, 67
"School Garden" typifies the characteristic vibrancy and swirling forms and figures that mirrored the vivacity and seemingly uninhibited lifestyle of the artist herself. While landscapes formed the majority of Pegi Nicol MacLeod’s work, Laura Brandon notes, “In order to obtain a good perspective on a subject Pegi would bend down and look at it backwards through her legs. Although landscape remained a preference, her range had broadened substantially—more urban and human subjects, perhaps as a result of Montreal’s political and architectural stimulus”.
Around the time that "School Garden" was painted, MacLeod had begun representing youngsters, particularly children playing in the schoolyard and wished to create, in her words, a “kaleidoscope vision” which captured the immediacy of the world around her. It was a style that was distinctively her own. MacLeod knew that this new technique was a promising shift in her work and felt confident in this new direction. As Henri Masson, fellow Ottawa resident and artist, explained, “she was, in the Thirties, the ‘Enfant terrible’ of the rather dull and small group of Ottawa artists, strange dresses, active in the theatre group... she was so much more alive and interesting than the majority of Canadian painters who painted dull Canadian landscapes”. Her contribution to Canadian art lies in her distinctive perspective on her surroundings and personal experiences.
