James Edward Hervey MacDonald is a painter, designer, artist, writer, poet and the major force and inspiration in the formation of the Group of Seven.
He was born in Durham, England sometime in 1873. He came to Canada with his family in 1887 and went on to study at the Hamilton Art School and the Central Ontario School of Art and Design. He started out as a graphic designer in Toronto while still going to school. He went to London, England for four years and in 1903 returned back to Toronto.
It was at Grip Ltd, a commercial art firm, where he met Tom Thomson. …
