One of the greatest innovators in the history of watercolor, David Milne was born near Paisley, Ontario, and moved to New York City in 1903. There he attended the Art Students League and exhibited five watercolours in the groundbreaking Armory Show of 1913. Milne worked in a succession of distinct styles. His New York watercolours, such as New York Roofs and Cobalt Trees, were executed in brilliant colours applied in a staccato style.
While working in Europe after World War I, he developed a muted dry-brush technique, seen in his Yorkshire view, Ripon: High Street. His greatest achievements in watercolour are a series of reflections he made in upstate New York by dragging a wet brush over dry-brush paintings. The Art Gallery of Ontario has 180 works by Milne in oil, watercolour, and colour drypoint.
