Edith Grace Coombs (Canadian, 1890-1986) OSA, CSGA, AOCA, FIAL
Mrs. James Sharp Lawson
‘Our Bathing Beach, Camp Charmette, 1967’
Canadian School
oil on masonite
signed; signed & inscribed verso
(actual) 20” high x 16” wide
(framed) 22 7/8” high x 18 /8” wide
Description: A fine Canadian School oil on masonite landscape painting depicting water through trees in Neighick Lake (Beaver Lake), Parry Sound, Magnetawan, by listed artist Edith Grace Coombs (Canadian, 1890-1986) Ontario Society of Artists, Canadian Society of Graphic Art, Ontario College of Art, International Institute of Arts & Letters, circa 1967.
Notes: Coombs explicitly locates the painting as ‘Our Bathing Beach, Camp Charmette,’ home of both the family cottage and her privately run summer school. The downward view looks through the trees, from the cabin (not shown), towards the shimmering water of a small private beach. The forms are drawn out and the colours saturated and bleached by the overwhelming intensity of the summer sun. The carefully studies effect successfully impressed upon the viewer the full environmental experience of the welcoming shade and the beckoning waters of Northern Ontario.
Markings: signed lower right, “coombs”; titled, dated and signed verso, “OUR BATHING BACH | CAMP CHARMETTE | 1967 | E. GRACE COOMBS, O.S.A. O.C.A. FIAL | Mrs. James Sharp Lawson”
Condition: Excellent Condition it is housed in the original frame. The artwork is clean, bright and ready for display.
Artist Biography: COOMBS, Edith Grace (1890-1986) Artist. Illustrator. Born in Hamilton, Ontario. Married Dr. James Lawson, DD, chief librarian at Emmanuel College, Toronto. A contemporary of the group of seven, and with direct association with J. W. Beatty, Arthur Lismer, J. E. H. MacDonald, and George Reid, Coombs was impressively active in the Canadian art scene. Best known for landscapes, and flowers near her summer home near Parry Sound, and also figure studies, abstract work, stained glass, and murals. STUDY: Ontario College of Art, 1913-18; New York School of Fine and Applied Art, 1929; WORK: Edgehill College, Nova Scotia; Havergal College, Toronto; Ontario College of Art and Design. MEMBE R: Ontario Society of Artists (1928); the Canadian Society of Graphic Art; the Federation of Canadian Artists; the Ontario College of rt Alumni Association; Victoria University Faculty Women’s Association; the Three Arts Club (New York); the Heliconian Club; and the Lyceym Women’s Art Association. EXHIBITIONS (selected): Ontario Society of Artists; Royal Canadian Academy; Canadian National Exhibition; British Empire Exhibition, Wembley; Exposition d’Art Canadien, Paris; Canadian Society of Graphic Artists; Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour; the Arts Club, New York. SOLO EXHIBITIONS (selected): Eaton’s; Laing’s; Malloney’s Galleries; Picture Loan Society; Helicoian Club, Toronto. COLLECTIONS (selected): Art Gallery of Hamilton; Canadian Museum of Civilization; University of Guelph; Macdonald-Stewart Art Centre and many important public and private collections
