Near Woodbridge

About Near Woodbridge

A saw mill is viewed from across a rapid river in this delightful scene near Woodbridge, Ontario, by Bernice Martin. Title, date on verso. This painting is unframed. Woodbridge, Ontario, is a settlement named in 1855 after a wooden bridge that crossed the Humber River as an entry point into the town. Martin's work is rooted in the post-Impressionist, atmospheric landscape style made well known by J.W. Beatty a forerunner to the Group of Seven.

“I look back on my life and my painting hours were the happiest. I’d spend long hours and forget time…my time was always measured by the passage of light.”
—Bernice Fenwick Martin

Born in Shelburne, Ontario, Bernice Martin studied at the Ontario College of Art under noted Canadian artists J.W. Beatty and Franklin Carmichael. After the death of Beatty in 1941, she found friendship in Peter Clapham Sheppard with whom she studied and worked with until his death in 1965. Working in oil, watercolor and woodcut, Martin focused on local scenes such as the Toronto harbor, small towns in Ontario and Northern landscapes including Muskoka, Haliburton, and Algonquin Park regions of Ontario.

Martin’s works were showcased at the Royal Canadian Academy from 1945-1947 and displayed in solo exhibitions in Toronto galleries throughout her career at T. Eaton Co.'s College Street Fine Art Gallery, Casa Loma, and the Guild of All Arts. She also exhibited at the Quebec Museum of Fine Arts, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. The works of Martin may be found in many private, corporate, and public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada.