Carl Fellman Schaefer (April 30, 1903 - May 21, 1995), born in Hanover, Ontario was a prominent Canadian artist celebrated for his exquisite watercolours. Carl Schaefer proudly defined himself as a regional Canadian painter and his area was rural southern Ontario particularly Grey County. He favoured agrarian themes rather than the wilderness scenes popularized by the Group of Seven. He studied at the Ontario College of Art (1921-24), where his teachers included Arthur Lismer and J.E.H. MacDonald.
Carl Schaeffer; After the Last Tilling
Carl Schaefer; Bomb Aimer, C Charlie, Ruhr
However, his innate resilience and artistic spirit eventually led him to rediscover a more cheerful and optimistic mood in his art, particularly during the 1950s. Schaefer was again painting in a broad, lyrical spirit in the countryside around Hanover and in neighbouring Wellington and Waterloo counties.
Carl Schaefer; Raven Lake, Haliburton
Schaefer's dedication to art extended beyond his personal creations. He shared his knowledge and passion as a teacher at Central Technical School in Toronto in 1930 and later at the Ontario College of Art from 1948 to 1970.
Carl Fellman Schaefer; Storm Approaching
There were three major Carl Schaefer exhibitions during the artist's lifetime: by the McCord Museum, Montreal, in 1967; by the Robert McLauchlin Art Gallery, Oshawa, ON, in 1976; and by the Edmonton Art Gallery in 1980.