Arbuckle was born in Toronto in 1909 and studied at the Ontario College of Art, where he learned under some of the country’s most influential landscape painters, including J.E.H. MacDonald and Arthur Lismer. These mentors encouraged close observation of nature and design principles drawn from modernist ideas while maintaining a commitment to representational subject matter. Arbuckle also encountered the influence of Frank Johnston, whose approach to colour and Canadian scenery shaped a generation of artists.

During the 1930s and wartime years Arbuckle built a successful career as a commercial illustrator, creating magazine covers and design work at a time when illustration provided a practical livelihood for many artists. His illustrations, notably for publications such as Maclean’s, demonstrated technical precision and narrative clarity, skills that later informed his easel painting. Unlike purely commercial work, however, his fine art practice emphasised personal observation and the poetry of ordinary places. Coastal docks, rural lanes, and northern shorelines became recurring subjects, allowing him to explore texture and atmosphere rather than dramatic historical or political themes.

Driftwood and Red Canoe embodies this approach. The red canoe, a familiar symbol of Canadian outdoor life, rests beside weathered timber as if recently returned from the water. The work dates to a period when Canadian artists were negotiating the relationship between European modernism and local tradition; Arbuckle chose a middle path, adopting modern compositional ideas without abandoning representational landscape painting.

Arbuckle’s marriage to Frances Johnston, daughter of Group of Seven artist Frank Johnston, further connected him to Canada’s modern landscape movement. Yet he maintained an independent artistic identity, balancing illustration with exhibition painting and mural commissions, including projects for public institutions and corporate clients. His work received recognition through awards such as the Jessie Dow Prize and commissions for civic murals, demonstrating broad appreciation for his ability to translate Canadian subject matter into accessible visual narratives.

Throughout his life Arbuckle remained committed to outdoor painting and direct observation. He travelled widely across Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, sketching coastal scenes and rural vistas that informed his studio work. This dedication to place and observation is evident in Driftwood and Red Canoe. The painting stands as a representative example of Arbuckle’s contribution to twentieth-century Canadian art, an approach based in realism, personal experience, and enduring respect for the landscapes that shaped his career.