“From Canadian art history to the present day, I as a striving artist wanted to represent the new age of art for Canadians today. With this acrylic painting I wanted to express the passionate fire for art that past Canadian artists carried with them, that has been passed down to future artists today. This fire is the life we hold for making art, which can ignite a flame within others and can inspire them to be creative in expressing themselves. I was inspired by a self-portrait by Frederick Varley because of how he represented the messy but organized property that light creates with surfaces. I chose myself to be the subject holding a lit candle to represent that passionate fire Canadians carry that I adopted when I came to Canada. I hope to pass this fire down to inspire others to create art too, and ignite that fire within them.”
—Aicer Galzote (Grade 11, Dr. Martin LeBoldus Catholic High School, Regina, Saskatchewan)

Born in Sheffield, England, F.H. (Frederick Horsman) Varley (1881–1969) was a founding member of the influential Toronto-based Group of Seven, and the only member of the Group to specialize in portraiture.