Oil with graphite on canvas
51.0 cm x 61.1 cm
Gift of the Estate of Kathleen Gormley McKay, 1996
1996.1.80

Outside My Studio Window was completed in Varley’s basement studio in the house he shared with Kathleen and Donald McKay, now the McKay Art Centre, at 197 Main Street in Unionville, Ontario. The Gothic Revival cottage, which the McKays nicknamed “Burdennet,” sits on the Rouge River watershed, and this backyard view frames the property’s lush garden that Varley so admired. While the scenery has changed since Varley painted the work in the early 1960s, many of the trees depicted still grow on the property, including the weeping willow in the foreground. A lean underpainting is visible through an openwork background, upon which small, rapid impasto brushstrokes in Varley’s signature colour palette are applied.

Varley has been described as one of Canada’s most unique colourists. His understanding of colour did not stem from a single source or influence but drew from a combination of his personal insights and the various colour theories he adopted. It was in the late 1920s and 1930s that Varley developed his signature harmonious blends of colour; pale celadon greens, iridescent cobalt violets and bright aureolin yellows became staples in landscapes and portraits alike. As artist Franklin Arbuckle (1909–2001) commented, “Most of his pictures, either figures or landscape, are characterized by a daring use of a breathtaking rose-pink, a rose-pink that simply sings out at you.”¹

Varley was in his early eighties when he painted this scene, and it is a good example of the impressionistic style he adopted during the final days of his artistic career. While his enthusiasm for painting never faltered, his sense of observation and skill with the brush naturally diminished over time. This softer, dreamier style can be attributed to advanced old age and deteriorating vision. While attractive, it lacks the confidence of earlier works.

1. McKenzie Porter, “Varley,” Maclean’s 72/73 (November 7, 1959): 33.