A Letter From Arthur Lismer

Georgian Bay was a favourite retreat for Arthur and Esther Lismer. From 1929 onward, they visited the area for 2 – 3 weeks most summers. After many years in the McGregor Bay area they moved closer to Parry Sound in the Manitou and Amanda Island region. He would paint a variety of subjects including the rocks and vegetation they would encounter as they canoed along the shoreline. Lismer’s oil sketches were becoming looser and more abstract, often scratching into the paint surface to create interesting textures. In the letter to the purchaser of this fresh panel, Lismer describes the piece, saying: “This is a particularly sacred spot in Georgian Bay —- my wife and I call it “Lismer Lake”: nobody seems to know about it.”This handwritten letter from the artist is included with the painting.