Kim Ondaatje began her career as a professional artist at a time when the abstract painting of Paul-Emile Borduas and his disciples dominated the art scene in Canada. Her remarkable vision of the world in three painting series, Hills, The House on Piccadilly Street, and Factories (including the above work), earned her national and international recognition. The literary world was a parallel influence on her work. A longstanding environmentalist, Ondaatje has for years been working on "her final landscape," a long-term project at her home.