Artist Info
Franklin Carmichael
Franklin Carmichael was born on May 4, 1890 in Orillia, Ontario.
When Carmichael was 21 years old, he began an apprenticeship at Grip Limited, a commercial art firm in Toronto. He also took night classes at the Ontario College of Art and at the Toronto Technical School. In the early 1910’s, Carmichael travelled to Antwerp, Belgium where he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts. After his training, Carmichael returned to Grip Limited. He would spend his weekends painting with his co-workers Tom Thomson, Arthur Lismer and J.E.H. MacDonald.
When Carmichael was 35, in 1925, he made his inaugural trip with A.Y. Jackson and Lawren Harris to sketch the landscape of Lake Superior. In this same year, Carmichael formed the Ontario Society for Painters in Watercolour. A fellow member of the Group of Seven, A.J. Casson, was also involved in creating this society. It is interesting to note that Carmichael became known for his use of watercolours instead of oil paints. The Carmichael family had a cottage in La Cloche Hills. This location became one of Carmichael’s most-loved locations to draw and immortalize the Canadian landscape.
In his early 40’s, Carmichael took a position at the Ontario College of Art as the Head of the Graphic Design and Commercial Art Department. He shared his talent and artistic skills with students for over 10 years, until his untimely passing at age 55.
