Carl Ahrens painting from the 1901–1922 period

Mid-Career Paintings (1901–1922)

The years 1901 to 1922 represent the middle period of Carl Ahrens' career, during which he produced some of his most celebrated work. Having settled in Ontario during much of this time, Ahrens deepened his engagement with the forests and landscapes of the region, developing the brooding, atmospheric style that would earn him recognition as one of Canada's foremost painters of trees and woodland scenes.

Works from this period appear in major public collections and were exhibited widely during his lifetime. Of particular note are paintings from the Collection of Major General Malcolm S. Mercer.

Featured Art

The Pool — The Pool
Oil on canvas
61 x 46 cm
Signed c. 1910
Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery
Gift of the Volunteer Committee, 1985
Photo by Chris Keith
This painting, along with the rest of the Mercer Collection, was exhibited in the Toronto Reverence Library in October of 1911.

Indian Camp — Indian Camp
Oil on board
44 x 32 cm
Signed
Private Collection
There is a possibility that this painting was originally titled Teepees and belonged to Major-General Malcolm S. Mercer. It would not have been part of the 1911 exhibition of the Mercer Collection.

House Through the Trees — House Through the Trees
Oil on Canvas
Signed c. 1919
Collection of Kim Bullock
Photo by Deborah Downes
This canvas originally belonged to George Nasmith, who took over as one of Ahrens' main patrons after the death of Major General Malcolm Smith Mercer in 1916.

Cloud Study (East Aurora, NY) — Cloud Study (East Aurora, NY)
Oil on board
Signed
Private Collection
This painting was listed in auction records for a 1928 sale at the Jenkins Galleries in Toronto for the sale of paintings in the collection of the Mercer family.

Edge of the Wood — Edge of the Wood
Oil on canvas
63.5 x 48 cm
Signed c. 1910
Collection of The Art Gallery of Hamilton (Ontario)
Gift of Dr. J.S. Lawson, 1960
Photo by Sandu Sindile

Eight O'Clock — Eight O'Clock
Oil on canvas
61 x 46 cm
Signed c. 1910
Private Collection
This painting, along with the others in the Mercer Collection, were exhibited in the Toronto Reference Library in October of 1911.

Edge of the Clearing — Edge of the Clearing
Oil on canvas
28 x 20 cm
Signed lower right
Collection of Sandu Sindile
Restored 2026.

By the Humber — By the Humber
Watercolor on paper
25.5 x 20 cm
Signed 1912
Collection of Kim Bullock
Photo by Kim Bullock
The Humber River runs through Toronto, Ontario.

Seascape with Purple Sky — Seascape with Purple Sky
Watercolor on paper
Signed lower left
Collection of Greg Chard
Likely painted in Rockport, Massachusetts in 1921.

Field and Forest — Field and Forest
Oil on canvas
29 x 22 cm
Signed lower left
Collection of the Homer Watson House and Gallery - Kitchener, Ontario
Donated to the gallery in 2002
Ahrens and Watson were close friends and had great admiration for each other's work.

Wooded Landscape with Reflective Pool — Wooded Landscape with Reflective Pool
Oil on panel
20 x 15 cm
Signed / Undated
Collection of Rick Taylor
Photo by Rick Taylor

Trees by a Stream — Trees by a Stream
Watercolor on paper
25 x 16 cm
Signed lower right
Private Collection
Photo by Lorna Ferguson

Laird — Laird
Oil on canvas
Signed c. 1920
Private Collection
Photo by Chris Keith
Please note: The background in this image has been altered to minimize the reflection in the photograph. In person, it is not this uniform in color.
Laird (1906-1986) was the son of Carl and Madonna Ahrens.

Nuestra Senora de la Solidad — Nuestra Senora de la Solidad
Oil on board
43 x 32 cm
Signed c. 1906
Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes
Photo by Deborah Downes
This would have been painted in the summer of 1906. Carl's wife, Madonna, loved it so much that she claimed it for herself, but years later Carl forgot and gave it to a friend. As of September of 2008, the painting is back in the family.

On Georgian Bay — On Georgian Bay
Oil on canvas
35.5 x 25.5 cm
Signed c. 1913
Collection of Kim Bullock
Photo by Sandu Sindile
This painting would have been painted in the small village of Leith, Ontario, on the shores of Georgian Bay. The Ahrens family summered there in 1913 and 1914.
This painting sold at auction under the name Leith Woods and it appeared at the Parallel Destinies exhibition under that name, but its original title was likely On Georgian Bay, which appeared in a 1917 exhibition at the Roberts Gallery. That painting was described as a “pretty sketch of northern lake scenery viewed through a screen of woods.”

Nude in the Woods — Nude in the Woods
Oil on canvas
37 x 32 cm
Signed
Private Collection
Photo by Chris Keith
It is likely Ahrens used his wife, Madonna, as a model for this painting. It is known she posed nude for him and it is doubtful he would have asked anyone else to do so.

Ship on Stormy Sea — Ship on Stormy Sea
Watercolor on board
18 x 12.5 cm
Signed lower left
Collection of Kim Bullock
Photo by Kim Bullock

Forest Interior — Forest Interior
Oil on board
26.5 x 21.5 cm
Signed
Private Collection
Photo by Sandu Sindile

Untitled Landscape — Untitled Landscape
Oil on board
18 x 12.5 cm
Signed lower left
Collection of Sandu Sindile
Photo by Lorna Ferguson

Untitled Landscape — Untitled Landscape
Oil on cardboard
54.5 x 37.5 cm
Signed
Collection of the Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery
Gift of Ted Fraser
Photo by Chris Keith

Light and Shadows (Georgian Bay) — Light and Shadows (Georgian Bay)
Oil on canvas
36 x 28.5 cm
Signed
Private Collection

Rockport, Mass. — Rockport, Mass.
Oil on canvas
101.5 x 81 cm
Signed 1921
Private Collection

Seascape With Sailboats — Seascape With Sailboats
Watercolor on paper
16.5 x 25.5 cm
Signed c. 1921
Collection of the Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. E.G. Barrie, 1970

Major-General Malcolm S. Mercer — Major-General Malcolm S. Mercer
Oil on canvas
102 x 81 cm
Signed c. 1913
In the collection of the Queen's Own Rifles Regimental Trust
Photo by Christopher Lawson
Major-General Mercer was Carl's patron between 1909 and 1914, when he was deployed to fight in France. Mercer was the highest ranking Canadian to die in WWI.

Midsummer — Midsummer
Oil on canvas
51 x 40.5 cm
Signed c. 1917
Private Collection
Photo by Sandu Sindile
This painting was originally part of the estate of George G. Nasmith (1877-1965). Mr. Nasmith was a friend of Carl's and took over as patron after the death of Major General Malcolm S. Mercer.

Moonlit Woods — Moonlit Woods
Oil on canvas
40.5 x 29 cm
Signed
Private Collection
Photo by Chris Keith
This painting is described in Kim Bullock's novel on Carl Ahrens.

River Through the Valley — River Through the Valley
Watercolor on paper
25.5 x 19 cm
Signed c. 1907
Private Collection
This painting was likely done near Corte Madera, California between October of 1906 and April of 1907. It was sold with another watercolor that is clearly of Mt. Tamilpais.

Mt. Tamilpais — Mt. Tamilpais
Watercolor on paper
25.5 x 19 cm
Signed c. 1907
Private Collection
This painting is undated, but must have been done between October of 1906 and April of 1907, because that is when Carl lived near this California mountain.

Woodland Path — Woodland Path
Oil on canvas
34.25 x 26.5 cm
Signed
Collection of rych mills
Photo by Sandu Sindile

A Sketch at Woodstock, New York — A Sketch at Woodstock, New York
Oil on canvas
35.5 x 25.5 cm
Signed c. 1920
Collection of Sandu Sindile
The title is painted onto the canvas in the lower left corner. That's unusual for Ahrens.

The Summer Breeze — The Summer Breeze
Oil on canvas
39 x 51 cm
Signed c. 1910
Collection of Suzanne Stewart Tucker
This painting, along with the rest of the Mercer Collection, was exhibited in the Toronto Reference Library in October of 1911.

Clearing Mist — Clearing Mist
Oil on canvas
76 x 91.5 cm
Signed c. 1910
Private Collection
This canvas was exhibited along with the rest of the Mercer Collection at the Toronto Reference Library on October of 1911. A collector offered $4,000 for the canvas, but Mercer refused.

The Valley — The Valley
Oil on canvas
90 x 74 cm
Signed c. 1910
City of Toronto, Museum Services, Spadina Museum
Photo by Sandu Sindile
This painting, along with the rest of the Mercer Collection, was exhibited at the Toronto Reference Library in October of 1911.

Home at Dark to Rest — Home at Dark to Rest
Oil on canvas
35.5 x 30.5 cm
Signed
Private Collection

The Inlet — The Inlet
Oil on canvas
58.5 x 81 cm
Signed c. 1910
Collection of rych mills
Photo by Sandu Sindile
This painting, along with the rest of the Mercer Collection, was exhibited in the Toronto Reference Library in October of 1911.

Golden Sunlight — Golden Sunlight
Oil on canvas
40.5 x 51 cm
Signed c. 1912
Collection of Sandu Sindile
Photo by Sandu Sindile
This painting was originally in the collection of Malcolm S. Mercer. Likely painted after October of 1911, since it was not included in the Mercer exhibition that took place in the Toronto Reference Library.

Portrait of a Young Girl — Portrait of a Young Girl
Oil on board
Unsigned, c. 1906
Private Collection
This painting was likely hidden from 1906-2018. It appears on the underside of the frame backing for the painting of San Luis Rey de Francia. The child's identity can't be known for certain, but it is quite likely Mary Frances Wainwright, a.k.a. Dickadee, the half sister of Carl Ahrens' second wife.

House Through the Trees — House Through the Trees
Oil on canvas
21.5 x 29 cm
Signed
Private Collection
This appears to be the Ahrens residence (1911-1919) in Lambton Mills, Ontario.

Untitled Forest Interior — Untitled Forest Interior
Oil on canvas mounted on board
30 x 20 cm
Signed c. 1917
Private Collection
Photo by Sandu Sindile
This painting was originally part of the estate of George G. Nasmith (1877-1965). Nasmith and Charles Burden took over as Ahrens' patrons after the death of Major-General Malcolm S. Mercer in June of 1916.

Moving Shadows — Moving Shadows
Oil on canvas
61 x 51 cm
Signed c. 1910
Collection of rych mills
Photo by Sandu Sindile
This painting, along with all others in the Mercer Collection, was exhibited in the Toronto Reference Library in October of 1911.

Wooded Landscape with Clearing — Wooded Landscape with Clearing
Oil on canvas
Signed
Private Collection

Wooded Landscape — Wooded Landscape
Oil on canvas
Signed
Private Collection

San Luis Rey de Francia — San Luis Rey de Francia
Oil on board
Signed c. 1906
Private Collection
George Wharton James, an author known for his books on the missions of California, commissioned Carl Ahrens to illustrate one of his books. In the summer/fall of 1906 Ahrens visited many missions, but the earthquake bankrupted his patron and James could only purchase a couple of paintings.

Sunset in the Forest — Sunset in the Forest
Oil on canvas
57.5 x 48 cm
Signed
Collection of Peel Heritage Complex
Brampton, Ontario
Photo by Chris Keith

The Evening Sun — The Evening Sun
Oil on canvas
63.5 x 81 cm
Signed c. 1910
Private Collection
Photo by Sandu Sindile
Originally owned by Major-General Malcolm S. Mercer. Appeared at the 1911 Mercer Collection exhibit, the Memorial Exhibition of Selected Works by Carl Ahrens held at Mellors Galleries and at the 1937 Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by Seven Waterloo County Artists at The Preston Springs.

Near Leith Woods — Near Leith Woods
Oil on canvas board
36 x 46 cm
Signed circa 1913
Collection of rych mills
Photo by Sandu Sindile

Leith Woods — Leith Woods
Oil on plywood
30.5 x 40.5 cm
Signed circa 1913
Collection of rych mills
Photo by Sandu Sindile