Homer Watson

Homer Ransford Watson was born and died in Doon, Ontario. He was basically self-taught but received some early art education at the Notman Studios in Toronto where he was influenced by Lucius O'Brien and Henri Perre. From 1876 to 1877, he visited New York City where he met George Innes and came into contact with the paintings of the Hudson River School. On several occasions, Watson lived briefly in Great Britain and was introduced to artists like Sir George Clausen and James McNeil Whistler. While always returning to Doon, he managed to become one of the leading artists of his generation and played key roles in several exhibiting societies like the Royal Canadian Academy, the Ontario Society of Artists and the Canadian Art Club. Most of his paintings were in oil with genre and landscape subjects in a style similar to the Barbizon and the Hudson River Schools.

Watson is a large figure in Canadian art, like Walker gaining an international reputation in the late 19th century, specifically when noticed by the Marquis de Lorne leading to his work being in Queen Victoria's collection.