Lot 96: FREDERICK HORSMAN VARLEY, A.R.C.A., SUMACH - MORNING MIST OVER THE CREDIT VALLEY, watercolour, 9.5 ins x 13 ins; 24.1 cms x 33 cms

FREDERICK HORSMAN VARLEY, A.R.C.A.SUMACH - MORNING MIST OVER THE CREDIT VALLEYwatercoloursigned; Varley Inventory No. 289 9.5 ins x 13 ins; 24.1 cms x 33 cms Provenance:Roberts Gallery, TorontoPrivate Collection, Manotick, OntarioF.H. Varley’s (1881-1969) contribution to Canadian art has normally been credited to his work in portraiture and the figure, but his landscapes also signal his great talent. Sumach, viewed perfunctorily may seem simple enough but it is a formidable expression of the artist’s pictorial strength and competency in watercolour. Against sparse coats of contrasting soft blue and brownish-orange paint, small, nearly imperceptible forms of nature emerge. It is in the merging of this colour-restricted palette, with accented dabs of sumach plants dotted across the picture surface, where the landscape slowly reveals itself.Estimate: $6,000–8,000