Canadian artist Graham Nobel Norwell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1901. In 1914, Norwell and his family emigrated to Canada and after a short time spent in Montreal, settled in the Kingston, Ontario region. In 1920, Norwell studied under Arthur Lismer, George Reid, J.W. Beatty and Robert Holmes at the Ontario College of Art before travelling to Paris and London to continue his artistic education.
At the age of 21, he moved back to Ottawa, Canada and was soon elected member of the Ontario Society of Artists. Norwell exhibited at the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts from 1921-1943 and at the Art Association of Montreal in 1922. His works can be found in the collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario and the National Gallery of Canada. Norwell was active in Ottawa, Ontario (1921-1926), Montreal (1933-1943) and Val-David, Quebec, where he would spend the last six years of his life.
Working primarily in oil and watercolour, Norwell is best known for his depictions of the Laurentian winter landscapes, rural villages and cottages. His style is easily identified by his use of simplified shapes and forms which enabled him to focus primarily on colour and atmosphere, rather than detail.
