A.Y. Jackson: The Life of a Landscape Painter

Alexander Young Jackson (1882-1974) is a name that instantly conjures up images of our rugged northern landscape and the controversial Group of Seven. This is the first-ever full-length biography of one of Canada's most beloved characters, and the first to examine in one book the artist, outdoorsman, soldier, teacher, debater, writer, and outspoken defender of modern art.

Jackson spent nearly seventy years travelling Canada on a lifelong quest to, rendering his impressions of its diverse character on canvas and promoting a vibrant, uniquely Canadian style of painting. From southern Alberta to Ellesmere Island, from Newfoundland to Northern British Columbia, he covered more ground than any other artist -- scoffing at harsh weather and hostile criticism along the way.

A.Y. Jackson takes readers on a journey through Jackson's struggles and triumphs, from his childhood in Victorian-era Montreal through his final years as a living legend of Canadian art who thought nothing of camping in a tent on Baffin Island at age 82.

Wayne Larsen is a landscape artist, newspaper editor, and columnist who frequently lectures on A.Y. Jackson and the Group of Seven at educational and cultural institutions. He is currently editor-in-chief of the Westmount Examiner and part-time professor of Journalism at Concordia University in Montreal.