In Winter on Eastern Avenue, 1975, John Kasyn, 1926–2008, depicts a quiet row of brick workers’ houses under fresh snow, rendered with crisp linework and restrained, earthy colour. The façades alternate between warm reds and cool greys, their chimneys punctuating a pale winter sky traced with bare, interlacing branches. Snow lies thick along rooflines, fences, and window sills, creating sharp white accents that define the architecture. A single lit window glows amber at the centre, introducing a note of human warmth against the stillness of the street. Wooden fences form a steady horizontal rhythm across the foreground, partially buried in snow, while scattered boards and debris suggest everyday urban wear softened by winter.

Born and raised in Toronto, John Kasyn trained at Central Technical School and the Ontario College of Art under instructors including F.S. Challener, George Pepper, Jock MacDonald, and R.W. Murphy. He became known for his intimate watercolours capturing Toronto streets, neighbourhoods, and working-class life, blending precise draftsmanship with atmospheric subtlety.

Kasyn exhibited widely across Canada, including with the Ontario Society of Artists and the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, and had solo shows at galleries such as Upper Canada College (Toronto), Beckett Gallery (Hamilton), Canadian Fine Arts Gallery (Toronto), Wallack Galleries (Ottawa), and De Vooght Gallery (Vancouver). As a long-standing presence in the Toronto art community, he influenced other local artists through mentorship and example, contributing to the city’s cultural fabric and the development of watercolour as a respected medium in Canadian urban landscape painting.

Winter on Eastern Avenue exemplifies Kasyn’s ability to combine architectural precision with mood, capturing the quiet rhythm of everyday urban life under snow. His works are included in major public collections, including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Gallery of Ontario, and remain sought after by collectors interested in Canadian urban landscapes and twentieth-century watercolours. This watercolour on paper measures 6 x 10 inches, is protected by museum glass, and is signed and dated bottom right.