Tom Thomson Was A Weatherman

Canadian Plein Air Artist Tom Thomson fishing
at Tea Lake Dam 1916. Photo Lawren Harris

I started doing presentations about the art and science of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven in the mid 1980s. I started with overhead slides and quickly embraced PowerPoint (PPT) - a fine piece of software well ahead of its time. I did not keep count but the number of presentations certainly number in the hundreds. That mountain of material grew into a book that nobody wanted. 

Outdoor Canada 1994 Article... I was a columnist for a while.
Editor Teddi Brown was very kind and supportive. 

What I propose to do now is to publish portions of that book, a blog at a time. The subject matter fits nicely into "Naturally Curious". In a couple of years of Science Tuesdays, also now known as Naturally Curious Tuesdays, the result will be an on-line book of sorts. The information that I have spent a lifetime gathering and writing about will not be totally lost. 

Much has been written about Tom Thomson and I hesitated for decades to jump into the fray. People are very passionate about Tom, his art, his story and of course his mysterious death. Passion is good as long as it is tempered with an open mind.

I have decided to make a positive leap - there are some contributions that I am in a unique position to add to the study of the Thomson body of work. Not much has been written about Tom’s motivation and inspiration to paint what he saw. I may have the answers to those questions. Of course, I may not and the reader can be the judge of that. My years as a professional meteorologist (starting in 1976) and a lifetime as an artist have given me both the science and the curiosity to really examine what Tom was doing and why. I focus solely on his creative life although I do have informed opinions about the other stuff. I simply wish to share the positive information by constructively building on the body of knowledge about one of Canada’s greatest artists. I also want this to be fun … and passionate! Nothing is worthwhile without passion.

Thunderhead 1913

In the application of Creative Scene Investigation (CSI) to Tom’s art, I wish to prove beyond any doubt that Tom was at the very least, a weather enthusiast. We could count up the number of skyscapes versus landscapes and apply some statistics but as Mark Twain once said, there are "lies, damned lies, and statistics". Mathematical statistics may convince some but I want to support my proof that “Tom Thomson Was A Weatherman” on a more fundamental basis with a direct connection to the reader. This can only be achieved by delving deeper than the pigments and into the hidden clues painted in plain sight.

My interactive "Thunderhead Slide" from the PPT 
detailing an EF2 tornado - complete with 
sound effects and animations. 

Secretly, my ultimate goal is that the reader develops a new way to look at the weather and art – Creative Scene Investigation. It is really not hard to do. CSI might open up another realm of appreciation and maybe unlock the key to better understand the motivation and inspiration of the artist. By doing so, it may also inspire the reader to nurture a deeper appreciation of the arts and the natural world. It could possibly inspire a desire to protect the natural environment for all of its inhabitants just when the globe is facing its biggest crisis since the days the earth was covered by super volcanoes.

“Thomson’s work would be a fine study for some competent critic, but anyone attempting it should be familiar, not only with every phase of his work, but with the country too, lakes, rivers, weather; have them in his bones … “ Thoreau MacDonald was the son of JEH MacDonald, Thomson friend, Thomson co-worker and Group of Seven charter member

“Write what you know.” Mark Twain

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water ... let us start this particular journey through Canadian weather, art and science...  

Phil the Forecaster Chadwick