. . higher ever higher we rose till the land below became a beautiful rug, with a somewhat geometric design, of all colours, broken by light ribbons, that were the main highways.”
– Frank Johnston
Frank (Franz) Johnston was born in Toronto on June 19, 1888. Right out of high school he began work as a commercial artist at Grip Limited. It was here that he met the founding fathers of the Group of Seven. He exhibited in their first show in 1920. His affiliation with this group was brief and he officially broke away from the group in 1924.
He was a principal of the Winnipeg School of Art and taught at the Ontario College of Art (1927-29). Franz Johnston passed away in 1949, and was buried in the McMichael Canadian Art Collection Burial Grounds in Kleinburg, Ontario.
We were inspired by his painting, Spruce Sentinels and used chalk pastels and fan brushes to create our own pieces.
