Naomi Jackson Groves (1910-2001) was the niece of A.Y. Jackson (1882-1974), and daughter of commercial artist H.A.C. Jackson, so it isn’t much of a surprise that art came easily to her. She was heavily influenced by her uncle and father, and followed in their footsteps to become a well regarded artist in her own right, but she never forgot her roots, as shown in her painting Unk on a Log (1973). In this painting, Jackson Groves portrays her uncle A.Y. Jackson as he paints a Canadian landscape. Jackson Groves painted a full scene, rather than just the figure of her uncle probably in an attempt to show a behind-the-scenes view of an artist at work, to give people a better understanding of the creative process.

Similarly, in Simon Tookoome Drawing (1989), a drypoint work by John Hartman (1950-), the artist gives a behind-the-scenes look at another renowned artist, Simon Tookoome (1934 – 2010). He turns influences and inspiration into physical beings and has them guiding the subject’s hand.

– Maryssa Barras, HWDSB Secondary School Coop student