Homer Watson

Homer Ransford Watson was a self-taught master painter from Doon (now part of Kitchener), Ontario. Inspired by the majestic deciduous forests and rolling rivers of the Grand River Valley, Watson developed a robust, dramatic painting style that rejected European artificiality in favor of native woodland vitality.

In 1880, the Governor General, Marquess of Lorne, purchased Watson's painting The Pioneer Mill for Queen Victoria. During an 1882 North American tour, Oscar Wilde visited Watson and nicknamed him "the Canadian Constable." Watson became the founding president of the Canadian Art Club in 1907.