Sold for: $11,700

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Vancouver

LITERATURE
Katherine Gibson, Ted Harrison: Painting Paradise, 2009, page 117

Ted Harrison grew up in a grimy coal mining community in England. He came to Canada in 1967 and began teaching in Alberta. Fascinated by tales of the Yukon from a fellow teacher, he resolved to move there, arriving in Carcross, near Whitehorse, in 1968. He was thrilled by the first sight of it, declaring, “Suddenly, as if a magician had conjured up a mirage, the village of Carcross popped into view...It looked like a little toy town...It’s wonderful, absolutely wonderful.” Pristine nature surrounded the town, and the natural activities of the townspeople, such as ice-fishing, snowshoeing, sledding and canoeing, fascinated Harrison. Soon he was snowmobiling around the countryside, eating caribou given to him by First Nations people and meeting the eccentric characters that gravitated to the North. Peter’s Yukon is an outstanding early work depicting northern town life, painted with electric colour. As if on a stage, the townspeople in the foreground go about their everyday activities, dogs caper and ravens scour for food, all captured with Harrison’s characteristic warmth and empathy for his community.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars