I live hundreds of miles away
from Canoe Lake, but I am heeding its call this month.
Canoe Lake, in Algonquin Park,
marked the watery grave of one Tom Thomson (pictured on Facebook and Twitter with his painting, West
Wind), an incomparable artist who came of age in my hometown of Owen Sound. He went
missing on July 8, 1917, and his body – bleeding from its right ear, fishing wire
coiled around an ankle – was found on July 17.
His life and the mysterious
circumstances surrounding his death have long been a passion of mine. I am now
working on a book about TOM, all caps, as he is branded at the 50-year-old Tom
Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound. The idea of writing a letter to my hometown
hero-legend has grown, from one to another to another …
In Canada, TOM tributes are
flowing, as are feature articles http://bit.ly/2tFfobc.
But the mystery of his death remains. In my book, I touch on some questions
that have gone unanswered, exactly one hundred years since his passing.
At times during the most intense
of my writing sessions, I allow the hubris to think that the result will bring
an especial quiet to Canoe Lake, allowing the spirit of an amazing artist and
singular Canadian soul to finally come to rest.
Next: Running for Your Life: On Vacation
