John Kasyn’s Winter Clouds Over Baldwin Street, 1975, (1926–2008) presents a quiet Montreal residential street in winter. The backs of terracotta row houses are dusted with snow, their rooftops and fences soft against a grey sky streaked with hints of blue and pale yellow. Bare trees stretch upward, while periwinkle window frames and rust-toned fallen branches add subtle colour accents. One window glows with a warm golden light, suggesting a fire inside, enhancing the painting’s sense of quiet domestic comfort and seasonal stillness. Kasyn’s careful attention to architectural detail, snow, and shadow gives the scene both realism and a tender intimacy.

Born in Poland, Kasyn immigrated to Winnipeg in 1938 and later moved to Toronto, where he pursued formal studies at the Central Technical School and the Ontario College of Art under FS Challenger, George Pepper, Jock MacDonald, and RW Murphy. His work reflects his lifelong fascination with Toronto’s historic streets and buildings, capturing architectural forms with precision and sensitivity. Through collaborations and exhibitions with Canadian artists including Rod Charlesworth and Peter Wyse, Kasyn also influenced younger urban landscape painters, mentoring them in the careful study of historic architecture, seasonal atmosphere, and compositional clarity.

Kasyn exhibited his work in various group exhibitions across Canada, and while records of solo shows are limited, his paintings have been acquired by private, corporate, and public collections, reflecting his enduring contribution to Canadian urban landscape painting. He was a member of both the Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) and the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC), cementing his professional recognition within Canada’s artistic community.

This watercolour on paper measures 7 × 11 inches, is signed and dated bottom right, and captures the intimate charm and quiet beauty of a Toronto winter street.