Canadian Landscape Artist Frank Leonard Brooks, ARCA/OSA 1911-2011, Oil on Board “Penetang Light” Dated 1939

Leonard Brooks born in 1911 in London England, arrived in Canada in 1912. He studied art at Ontario College of Art with Frank Johnston (1929). Brooks taught at Northern Vocational School in Toronto and became an associate member of the RCA or Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1939. He taught art in Toronto, was active in artistic circles and exhibited in major exhibitions in Canada and in the United States. He was a member of Toronto’s Arts and Letters Club, Canadian Society of Graphic Artists, the Ontario Society of Artists and the Royal Canadian Academy.

He joined the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve in May 1943. During his posting as an Official WWII artist (August 1944 – May 1946) he painted over 100, mostly watercolour, artworks which are part of the Canadian War Collection. After the war, he obtained a grant from the Dept of Veteran Affairs to study art in Mexico. Brooks was also an accomplished musician and music teacher in Mexico. Living to 100 and being an artist for most of those years, he has not received the recognition of other long-lived major Canadian artists, probably because he lived most of his artistic life in Mexico.

This painting titled “Penetang Light” is an oil on board. The quality of light, sophisticated colour palette and textured brushwork show his great artistic ability from early in his career.  He was a fine painter of the Canadian landscape, a War artist, an adventurous experimenter in abstractism, a writer of books for artists, a musician, and a teacher.

Signed Leonard Brooks ’39 bottom right.
Written:  Penetang Light ’39  Leonard Brookes ARCA OSA

Penetang is located on Georgian Bay.

Dimensions: Image: height 12″ x width 12″   Frame: Height 17.25 x width 20.75″ depth 1.75″