Otto Planding (1887 - 1964) was born in Germany. He studied at the Munich Academy of Art before immigrating to Canada in 1912-13. From the moment of his arrival until his death, he supported himself exclusively by his art. He lived a modest existence in Toronto, where he maintained a studio behind Haynes Gallery on Yonge Street. Planding painted mostly in the countryside north of Toronto, in the area of Georgian Bay and Muskoka, Haliburton and Algonquin Park, although he also painted views in the Canadian Rockies. He died at the age of 77 without a will in a rented room. His entire estate was comprised of $52.00 in cash and three works of art he had completed only a short time before his death. Planding is remembered for vivid, realistic scenes—often painted en plein air—that reflect the Canadian wilderness with impressionistic brushwork and a natural palette.

The view offered here is reminiscent of others he painted on the shores of the Wye River in Simcoe County, Ontario. The Wye flows near the town of Midland and empties into Georgian Bay, passing through the Wye Marsh Wildlife Area.