Cedar of Willows, Lake Shore by Thomas Garland Greene

Born in Toronto, Ontario, he worked for seven years in a printers shop. He attended night school at the Central Ontario School of Art, Toronto, under William Cruikshank (1898). He went to London, England, in 1902 on a cattle boat where he studied at the Westminster School of Art, under Mouat Loudan and the Finsbury Art School under Gilbert Bayes. In London he helped organize (with Archibald Martin, Norman Price, and William Wallace) the Carlton Studios. He returned to Canada in 1904 and settled for a time in London, Ontario, where he worked for an advertising agency. In 1907 he was in New York but returned to Toronto and he taught at the Ontario Ladies College at Whitby, Ontario, for ten years (1915-1925). He also taught at At. Andrew's College and Northern Vocational School, Toronto.

In his painting he worked in oils and water colours doing mainly landscapes. He also did portraits. He was very active in art circles and was a founding member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (1926) (President 1929); founding member of the Canadian Society of Graphic Art (Pres. 1931-33); Arts and Letters Club, Toronto (1915); Mahlstick Club, Toronto (1915). He exhibited often with the Ontario Society of Artists, the Royal Canadian Academy (between 1914 and 1932) and the societies of which he was a member.

He wrote certain nineteenth century French entries for the catalogue of Paintings and Sculpture, Art Institute of Chicago, World's Fair exhibit (1933-4); articles and reviews on art subjects for the commonwealth, Educational Screen, Townsfolk (Chicago). He taught French at the Girl's Latin School, Chicago (1934-7) and lectured for the Department of Education, Art Institute of Chicago. He was the author of children's catalogues: “Masterpieces of the Renaissance Lent by the Italian Government to S.F. World's Fair on Loan to Chicago Art Institute” and “Twelve Paintings and related works of Art in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago.” He taught private classes in sculpture for children, 1938-40 and was commissioned by Encyclopedia Britannica junior (Children's) for article on Painting (1942).

He is represented in the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Saskatoon Collegiate Institute, Hart House (U of T) and the Ontario Government collection, Toronto. In 1935 he retired to Hawkestone on Lake Simcoe and passed away in Orillia, Ontario in 1955.

Source: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume I: A-F", compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1977