Mirror Lake 1929

Franklin Carmichael made this landscape painting with watercolour, conjuring nature in a palette of blues, greens, and earth tones. Look at the horizontal brushstrokes layered one on top of the other. Can you see how he's building up the hills and land? I imagine Carmichael standing there by the lake, squinting at the scene before him, trying to capture the essence of the place. What do we really see when we look at the world? With watercolour, the paint is so thin, so fluid. Carmichael must have had to work quickly, letting the colours mix and mingle on the paper to create the reflections on the lake. Artists are always responding to each other, across time and space. The way Carmichael simplifies the landscape reminds me of Cezanne, but with a distinctly Canadian sensibility. With this painting, he’s not just showing us a place, he’s inviting us to experience the stillness and wonder of nature. It's a reminder that painting isn't just about representation; it's a way of feeling and thinking about the world.