Though author Shawn Henshall has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Science, he has been deeply fascinated by early mid-twentieth century art since he was a teenager, and spends a significant amount of his personal time researching artists and deciphering their role in contributing to the foundation of the modern arts movement in Canada.

The great-grandson-in-law of Jack McLaren, Shawn spent almost twelve years researching his legacy, supported by his family, the Arts & Letters Club, The National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Huron County Historical Society and Museum. He hopes this book will satisfy readers' curiosity about why Canada is so well-known for humour on the international stage, and the real story behind the twentieth-century Canadian art movement.

Shawn lives in Squamish, British Columbia, with his family: his wife, Kelly (Jack McLaren's great-granddaughter), his two children, Adeline and Elliot, and Tessa the poodle.