In honour of Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, this is an art project that follows the road that ties the country together. The subject and inspiration for each painting will come from a stop along the highway every 150 km, from Victoria, BC to St. John's, NL. Visit the Artworks page of this site to see the paintings completed so far.
Over the course of the 150th year of Canada's Confederation, we're traveling along the Trans-Canada Highway from coast to coast, stopping every 150 km and finding the subject and inspiration for a series of 51 paintings each of the great country that we call home. Some images are of the road itself, some are of the countryside and life along the road, and some have not yet been imagined. Join us in our journey through this blog, and join us at the series of exhibitions planned for the finished artworks during 2017, 2018, and 2019. As art teachers, we plan to give back to programs that help develop young people's passion for the visual arts through donation of a portion of sales at our final exhibition around Canada Day, July 1 2018. Come back often for an update on the project. And let us know what you think. |
How we got started (see the video version)
It all began one rainy week in the spring of 2016. While touring in the Charlevoix region of Québec, we were frustrated by the constantly inclement weather that discouraged us from taking our planned hikes in the gorgeous mountainous terrain. Over the radio came a call to action: what are you doing for Canada's 150th anniversary? Slowly the germ of an idea developed: traveling across Canada as the Group of Seven artists did 100 years before, but on the highway instead of the train. The number 150 led to the number of kilometers between stops. But, could this really be done? Could we really find enough subjects to paint at so many seemingly random locations along the road? We decided to test it out. At the next turnoff on the narrow mountain road, we found a beautiful lake surrounded by conifers and rocks. This could work. On looking around, we found a crumpled foreign cigarette package in the weeds: an interesting composition that offered possibilities for a piece about the environmental consequences of tourism. On returning to the car, however, the pattern created by the water-filled tire tracks curving through the gravelly pink mud and merging onto the road were captivating. This was it! This could work - a series of paintings of and along the road, capturing the everyday and unusual along with the stunning scenery for which our country is rightly famous.
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On returning to Montreal, I quickly put the scene to canvas and started researching the Trans-Canada Highway. The project would be huge. Dividing the main cross-continent route into 150 km segments would entail creating 51 paintings. Maps would be needed, Google Maps and the Transcanadahighway.com website provided lots of detail, but there would be huge logistical challenges. Could that many paintings be completed before the end of the 150th year celebrations?
Another test was needed before committing to the project. The closest stop along the highway to Montreal was at Km 2550, near Vankleek Hill in eastern Ontario. Yes, both Alison and I found inspiring subjects there and we were off and running. |