Waterton Lake, Alberta, 1954

Roberts Gallery, Toronto, 1969

Beam Canada Inc. (Canadian Club) through acquisition by Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd., Walkerville/Windsor

A.Y. Jackson, A Painter's Country, Toronto/Vancouver, 1958, page 146 

Catharine M. Mastin (ed.), The Group of Seven in Western Canada, The Glenbow Museum, Calgary, 2002, page 114

An avid traveler, Jackson undertook extended sketching trips to his preferred painting regions, journeying across Canada from the Maritimes to British Columbia, and north to the Arctic and the Northwest Territories. Since 1906, A.Y. Jackson’s brother Ernest had been living in Lethbridge, Alberta. Though Jackson visited frequently, it was not until the late 1930s that he would sketch in the area. He described the appeal of the west in a letter to Anne Savage in 1933, writing “the great open prairies tugged strongly with [their] promise of vast space and unfettered movement, of an escape to freedom, of renewal.” Southern Alberta offered expansive, windswept vistas, with rolling foothills leading to the majestic Rocky Mountains. The distinctive landscape would prove to be well-suited to Jackson’s rhythmic, flowing compositions. From 1937 on, Jackson visited Lethbridge more frequently, finding a wealth of inspiration in the area. In his autobiography, Jackson noted, “…the foothills of Alberta, with the mountains as a backdrop, afford the artist endless material.” Jackson would paint in the area with focussed regularity for the next two decades. Over time, the artist nurtured friendships with a number of local residents, including members of the Lethbridge Sketch Club. These Alberta artists would act as helpful guides and painting companions on excursions throughout the area. 

Jackson taught summer courses at the Banff School of Fine Arts from 1943 until 1949, where he led outdoor sketching excursions. In 1954, Jackson was one of eighteen Canadian artists commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway to paint a mural for the interiors of new Canadian transcontinental train cars. In order to undertake the mural project, a member of CPR’s design team contacted the president of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, who in turn selected Canada’s leading artists at the time. The artists, including A.J. Casson, Edwin Holgate and Charles Comfort, each completed a mural depicting a different national or provincial park; Jackson's was Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. 

During the same year as the CPR mural project, Jackson completed this oil painting of Waterton Lake, situated at Alberta’s southern boundary, bordering Montana with British Columbia close by. The region had been shaped by pummelling winds, resulting in stunted trees and scrubby vegetation. The shores of the lake offer spectacular views of the Rockies. Waterton Lake, Alberta wonderfully exemplifies Jackson’s depictions of southern Alberta. The artist’s undulating, rhythmic brushstrokes imbue the composition with energy and vitality. Gracefully curved trees frame the breathtaking Rocky Mountains. The warm hues of the foreground are set off against the cooler hues in the distance. Jackson’s Alberta works would continue to figure prominently in the artist’s later period. Repeat visits offered new territory to explore, along with deepening personal connections in the area.

Cowley Abbott is honoured to be offering the Canadian Club Brand Centre art collection, reflecting an important part of Windsor’s and Canada’s history.

Please click here for additional information on the Collection of Beam Canada (Canadian Club).