E. L. Thomson

Clara Codd and E. L. Thompson at Olcott, 1958

Lt. Colonel E. L. Thomson, DSO, was the General Secretary of the Canadian Section of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) during the 1950s. Colonel Thomson lived located on the Scarborough Bluffs on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in a residential community of artists. James S. Perkins, himself a commercial artist, visited Scarborough and wrote: "Here a cooperative guild of associated artists and craftsmen, and those who are interested in these cultural developments, are bringing into reality a garden village created upon the ideal of living in closer harmony with nature." Thomson painted in oils and also engaged in weaving.

Toward the Light, 1939

He donated a painting to the Theosophical Society in America, where he frequently attended summer conventions. Toward the Light depicts humanity struggling toward spirituality. The towering cliffs denote the world hemming them in.