Franklin Carmichael and other members of the Group of Seven were committed to exploring, through art, the unique character of the Canadian landscape. Collectively they agreed: Canada’s rugged wilderness regions needed to be captured in a distinctive painting style. This style would break from European tradition and reflect an increasingly nationalistic sentiment. The Group’s first exhibition was held in May 1920, marking a watershed moment in Canadian art.

Carmichael also cofounded the Canadian Group of Painters and the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, and after many years of work as a commercial artist, he became the head of the Commercial and Graphic Art Department at the Ontario College of Art. Carmichael’s watercolor Mirror Lake is part of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.