Homer Watson’s Cressman’s Woods (c. 1900) is a powerful landscape that captures a wooded scene with a sensitivity to both light. Painted in oil on board and signed in the bottom left, the small but richly detailed work (10 × 14 in) draws the viewer into the trees, likely inspired by the very woods the artist later worked to preserve near his home in Doon (now part of Kitchener), Ontario.

Homer Ransford Watson (1855–1936) was a self‑taught Canadian landscape painter best known for portraying the countryside around his hometown of Doon (now part of Kitchener), Ontario with remarkable fidelity and heartfelt devotion. He began painting at a young age and, despite limited formal training, became one of the most celebrated Canadian artists of his time, gaining recognition through exhibitions in Canada, the United States, and Europe and selling works to prominent collectors including the Governor General for Queen Victoria. Watson’s landscapes, infused with a deep connection to the land, helped define a distinctively Canadian approach to natural scenery at a time when many artists looked to European precedents.

Homer Watson played a pivotal role in the development of Canadian art as a co‑founder and the first president of the Canadian Art Club in 1907. This influential group brought together some of the country’s most important artists of the era, including William Edwin Atkinson, Clarence Gagnon, William Brymner, Maurice Cullen, and J.E.H. Macdonald, all of whom are represented in the Rookleys collection today. Through the club, Watson fostered collaboration and the exchange of ideas among artists, helping to elevate Canadian landscape and modern painting while creating opportunities for exhibitions and recognition both nationally and internationally.