Tom Roberts attended Toronto's Central Technical School and the Ontario College of Art, where he studied under J.W. Beatty and was influenced by the Group of Seven. While in military service during World War II, he portrayed army life in pencil and watercolour sketches. Roberts' paternal grandfather established the Roberts Gallery in 1842, the oldest gallery in Canada. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy and Ontario Society of Artists. His work is in the collections of Imperial Oil Ltd., the City of Montreal, Art Gallery of Hamilton, University of Guelph Art Gallery, and London Art Gallery. In the mid-1980's, he held over 32 one-man, often sold-out, shows. Roberts recorded our heritage with his engaging oil paintings depicting Canadian wildnerness. He was a prolific artist and produced landscape paintings inspired by his travels from coast to coast.