Hortense M. Gordon, ARCA (1886 - 1961) served as a distinguished technical teacher in her native Hamilton, Ontario for over 30 years, establishing a high standard of design teaching and motivating her students to seek the highest form of expression consistent with the practical necessities of making a living in an industrial city during Depression and wartime years. She achieved recognition for her own art among her peers and in the public, in Canada and the United States, where she had numerous contacts. In her final decade of life, her daring abstract paintings were widely accepted and she participated as an active member of Canada's first English - speaking abstract group, Painters Eleven.

Hortense M. Gordon,came into prominence on the Canadian artistic scene briefly, but with eclat, when she became a member of the first English - speaking Canadian abstract artists' group, Painters Eleven, in 1954. Unlike others in this highly visible group who were younger than she was and active in Toronto art circles, Hortense Gordon had spent over 30 years teaching art in a technical school in the city of Hamilton, Ontario. But she had also studied, exhibited regularly, and worked tirelessly for recognition as an artist during her teaching career. With a background in arts and crafts, she had little formal art training but had taught herself principles of applied design. Her independent and inquiring spirit and wholehearted belief in art as a way of life were influential in guiding her into abstract painting style, and allowed her full participation in Painters Eleven. She demonstrated the hard - won independence of women of her generation who achieved careers and success despite obstacles.