Artist Biographics and Biographies.

Biographic:

Thomas Mower Martin, RCA, OSA (1838-1934.)

Born in London England, Martin was educated at the military school in Enfield
Middlesex, studied water colour painting under Humphries at the South
Kensington Galleries in London England but was mainly a self taught artist
influenced by the traditional British Victorian artists of the time.

He came to Canada, settling in Muskoka in 1862, before moving to Toronto in 1880 where he lived for the rest of his life.

Working in oil, pastel, pencil and watercolour, his subjects include landscapes, farmyard and animal subjects, still lives, native subjects, often villages, and some portraiture. (His animal and farmyard scenes are somewhat reminiscent of the work of T.S Cooper.)

He travelled extensively as an active artist in Canada and painted in the Rockies in 1887, coastal British Columbia - including Victoria between 1885 and 1903, Nova Scotia, Maine and England circa 1903 and both England and Scotland again in 1907.
He was well travelled and respected.

He was a member of a group of painters in Canada known as 'the Railway Painters'. They were specifically employed by the Canadian Pacific Railroad to document the construction of the railway through the Canadian Rockies.

Of note: He was to become the first Director of the Central Ontario School of Art between`1877 and 1879.

Martin wrote and published : 'Artists letters from the Rockies' in 1889.
'Canada from the artists view' in 1895 and illustrated 'Canada' with text by
Wilfred Campbell in 1907.

He exibited with the RCA between 1880 and 1933, the AAM 1880-1929.

His work is represented and still in the permanent collections of:
The AGO, GM, MMFA, NAC, NGC, OG, PABC, ROM, VAG, VCM and Windsor Castle in England.

D Freeman

John Powell Hunt (Canadian- 1842-1932)

John Powell  Hunt was born in St. Mary's, Ontario and died in London, Ontario.

Working in both oil and water colour, he painted landscapes in and around the London area, mainly with the addition of cows and sheep. He also painted still life and portrait subjects in the academic style of Judson, his mentor.

He moved to London  in 1875 to study with William Lees Judson and met and knew Paul Peel, who at that time was another young student. 

Later he studied in Toronto under John Colin Forbes.

Most of his career was spent in London where he taught art classes and occasionally worked as a copyist.

He exhibited at the RCA in 1882 and 1913 and at the AAM between 1911 and 1914.

His series of portraits of Londons' mayors are in London City Hall whilst he work is held in the permanent collection of the  London Art Gallery.

He was son of  Frederick & Sarah, married Phoebe HOGARTH , 23 , Ontario , East Nissouri , daughter of  John & Ann , witn: Frank RUSE & Ella HOGARTH of East Nissouri , 23 Feb 1880 at East Nissouri.

He was father to Thomas Hunt another notable Canadian painter.

David Freeman