Photograph by Charles Comfort - The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour meeting in the Library of the Grange, Toronto c. 1932. Left to right: Joachim Gauthier, Franklin Carmichael, A.J.Casson, Thomas W. MacLean and Conyers Barker.
Since 1925, the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC) has been encouraging excellence in the medium of watercolour through exhibitions, workshops, and symposiums. The Society also facilitates communication between artists who share this demanding medium but often work in isolation.
His Majesty, King Charles III is an honorary member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour.
The CSPWC enjoys the Patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada.
The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour / La Société Canadienne de Peintres en Aquarelle recognizes, encourages, and nurtures excellence in the medium of watercolour. To this end, it plans and holds seminars, demonstrations, and open competition exhibits to discover and appreciate the work of watercolourists and to encourage them to become members of the Society. The Society provides a common forum, information, and camaraderie for artists who express their creativity in this demanding discipline.
Founded at Toronto’s historic Arts and Letters Club on November 11, 1925, by a dozen artists, the CSPWC has had an illustrious history of promoting tradition, education, and experimentation. The founding members included Fred Brigden, considered the dean of Canadian watercolour at the time, and A.J. Casson, Arthur Lismer, and Franklin Carmichael, all members of the exciting new Group of Seven.
Today, the CSPWC has grown to include over 220 elected members, continuing its legacy of excellence in watercolour.
From Aquarelle! By Rebecca Sisler
" …. A letter dated November 3, 1925, signed by Brigden, Casson and Carmichael, was sent out to a small group of potentially interested painters inviting them to a meeting to discuss the formation of a water colour society. The tone of the letter touched a common chord, stressing concern that the signs of revival of interest in water colour ‘may not stop at that alone, but be carried to the production of a more important work in that medium.’
Just over a week later on November 11, twelve men gathered in the Library of the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto in response to that letter. They were an interesting lot with their varied experience, running the gamut of many decades and levels of painting involvement. There was Robert Gagen, who at seventy-eight was an old veteran of the founding of the two principal arts societies, and who had a lifetime of commitment behind him as a highly able, transitional painter. There was C.W. Jefferys, the brilliant water colourist whose work became so widely known to the public through his historical illustrations. There were Fred S. Haines and L.A.C. Panton, both of them educators, as well as fine if widely differing painters. There were the ‘radicals,’ the Group of Seven members, Franklin Carmichael and Frank Johnston, along with their younger colleague A.J. Casson. There was Robert Holmes the painter of exquisite wild flower compositions. There were T.G. Greene, and Andre Lapine, lesser known but dedicated painters in the traditional vein. There was Fred Brigden, universally respected both for his talents as a businessman and as a past master of the purist watercolour technique.
The twelfth participant, J.E. Sampson, (a partner in the printing firm of Sampson Matthews) must’ have arrived late at the gathering for while he put forward motions and took part in all aspects of the meeting, he somehow neglected to sign the register, resulting in the subsequent omission of his name on the list of founding members compiled by the later generation. In principle three further name should have been included on that list. W.J. Phillips of Winnipeg, Paul Alfred of Ottawa and one lone woman, Florence H. McGillivary, also of Ottawa, had been alerted to the meeting, but doubtless because of distance has been unable to attend on such a short notice. However, their letters of support were noted in the minutes.
The proceedings were simple enough. After discussion, it was moved by A.J. Casson, and seconded by Frank Carmichael that the meeting form a society for 'the practice and encouragement of painting in water colour.’ It was passed unanimously and followed by the election of officers. In deference to his long years of contribution and achievement in the arts Robert Gagan was named Honorary President. F.H. Brigden, the ‘Dean,’ was chosen President, C.W. Jefferys was Vice President and Treasurer, Franklin Carmichael was Secretary, and Frank Johnson was Executive Member. An annual membership fee was set; it was five dollars.
The name itself anything but short and catchy - even the initials took practice to pronounce - was a conscious choice. It was meant to give notice that a society of painting in water colour was an organization to be taken seriously."
The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC) uses the term “water colour” as two separate words in its official name, adhering to a historical naming convention. This approach reflects the formal and traditional style of English usage from the early 20th century, when the Society was founded in 1925 and officially recognized in 1936.
At the time, it was common in Canada and Britain to write “water colour” as two words, particularly in academic and artistic contexts. Over time, “watercolour” as a single word has become more prevalent in modern English, but the CSPWC has chosen to retain its original styling as a nod to its heritage and historical roots. This usage helps to preserve the organization's legacy and distinguish it as a historic institution in Canadian art.
Membership Recognition: Members of CSPWC are entitled to use the initials CSPWC after their names, which signifies their recognition and achievement within this specialized field of art.
