Illingworth Holey Kerr (1905–1989) was a Canadian artist known for his expressive watercolours of coastal and prairie landscapes. Breaking Waves, c. 1980, shows a broad, open shoreline where layers of sea, surf, and sky stretch across the composition. The water is painted in translucent washes of turquoise, blue, and violet, with white crests breaking along the midground, suggesting the continual motion of incoming waves. In the foreground, shallow pools and wet sand are painted with fluid, interlocking shapes, allowing colours to blend softly into one another, emphasizing movement and light rather than fixed detail. Kerr’s confident handling and luminous palette convey a calm, expansive atmosphere rooted in direct observation of the coastal landscape.

Kerr studied at the Ontario College of Art under John Alfsen and Franklin Carmichael of the Group of Seven, and also trained at the Vancouver School of Art and the University of British Columbia. He taught at the Alberta College of Art and Design, Mount Allison University, and the University of Calgary, influencing a generation of Canadian artists. His work was shaped by early exposure to the Group of Seven and by time spent painting the coasts of British Columbia and Nova Scotia. Kerr was closely associated with the Canadian Watercolour movement and helped mentor artists such as Walter Dexter and Joane Cardinal-Schubert.

Kerr exhibited widely across Canada, including solo and group exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. His works are represented in public collections including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Collectors value his watercolours for their ability to capture the motion and light of coastal landscapes. This watercolour on paper is protected by museum glass, measures 15 × 22 inches, and is signed bottom right.