Tom Thomson (Born on August 5, 1877) was born was born near Claremont, Ontario. A brilliant, pioneering Canadian artist, he was the sixth of ten children born to Margaret Matheson and John Thomson. His family moved to Rose Hill and it was in this quiet rolling country side, overlooking Georgian Bay’s shores that Thomson grew up. Thomson received his education locally as he was raised on the farm, though ill health kept him out of school for a period of time, he is said to have been enthusiastic about swimming, hunting, sports, and fishing. His upbringing gave him an immense appreciation for the arts. Design music, and drawing were valuable and honored pursuits. Thomson had a restless start to his adulthood. He failed to enlist for the 1899 Boer War due to health reasons. He then decided to apprentice as a machinist at Kennedy’s Foundry in Owen Sound that took him 8 months.
Thomson was still undecided on a career path to follow; he briefly attended business school in Chatham and moved to Seattle in 1901 to join his brother George at his business college. In Seattle he became proficient in design and lettering and worked as a commercial artist during the next 5 years. He decided to return to Canada in 1905 to work at Legg Brothers as a senior artist. In 1909, he joined a prominent Toronto photo-engraving house, the staff of Grip Ltd., and this proved to be a turning point in his life. Artist J.E.H. MacDonald, the firm’s head designer, contributed much to Thomson’s artistic development. He sharpened his sense of design.
