Arctic Quest

In 2006, twenty-five artists marked the 100th anniversary of Amundsen’s 1906 navigation through the Northwest passage with a journey of their own.

Painting shown is part of the Vancouver Maritime Museum's permanent collection.

Karole Haycock Pittman

Artist's statement

Thoughts on climate change in the Arctic: I've been going to the Arctic since 1968. The summer of 2006 was warm and unlike any Arctic summer I've ever seen. There was almost no sea ice. We sought it out, looking for wildlife among the floes. People sat on deck in bare feet in Lancaster Sound. Baffin Bay was mostly ice-free and we saw Orcas, unusual this far North.

Painting:
Gjoa: The Little Ship That Did
24" x 20"
Oil on Canvas
"Gjoa" was the first ship to sail through the Northwast Passage, 1906

Biography

Karole Haycock Pittman Karole grew up in Ottawa in an art-rich environment where AY Jackson was “Uncle Alex”, and her father, Arctic artist Maurice Haycock, encouraged her to draw as soon as she could hold a pencil. When she was eight, she began painting in oils on wood panels, with a little paint box of the type used by Tom Thompson. In 1968 her father first showed her the intoxicating light of the Arctic and until 1985 took her on several more painting trips “north of 60”.

Since 1969 Karole has made her home in Newfoundland, and has a special interest in northern coastal landscapes and peoples. From 1993 to 1998, she and her family lived in Inuvik, Yellowknife, and Pangnirtung. Karole continues to learn from other artists, most recently at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, but her strongest influence is still her father, who coached her over several decades. She loves the grace and dignity of the natural world, its play of light, wind and tide; she works outdoors, letting the wood of the panel shine through the paint to reflect the flickering character of natural light.

Exhibitions
Karole has had four solo shows, in her home province, and at Pangnirtung, Nunavut Territory. Her group exhibitions include several in Newfoundland, Ontario (Ottawa, Toronto) and the Northwest Territories (Inuvik).

Collections
Her work is represented in the government collections of Newfoundland/Labrador and Nunavut, and private and corporate collections in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain.

Awards
• Grant - 2006 - Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council - Arctic Quest
• Grant - 1998 - NWT Arts Council - Inuit Traditional Sites and Activities in Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island

Arts Organizations
• Visual Artists of Newfoundland and Labrador (VANL)
• Canadian Artists’ Representation (CARFAC)
• Worldwide Nature Artists’ Group (WNAG )
• League of Artists of Western Newfoundland (LAWN)

Represented by
Ewing Gallery, Corner Brook, NL; Java Jack’s Restaurant & Gallery, Rocky Harbour, NL; and CoastLines Studio, Rocky Harbour NL, www.coastlinesstudio.com.

Teaching and Related Activities
During the Arctic Quest voyage, Karole presented an illustrated talk on her father’s introduction to the Arctic. She is preparing Maurice Haycock’s 1926/27 Arctic diary for publication. Karole has led painting workshops in Pangnirtung, Yellowknife, and Inuvik, and at Gros Morne and Fundy National Parks. She initiated and chaired an Arctic Renewable Resources program at Inuvik, developed a major program of exhibits and other media for Gros Morne National Park, and created two small exhibits for the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife.

Current Events
While working up her Arctic Quest material for ongoing exhibitions, Karole is also exploring some new artistic directions.

Karole Haycock Pittman
P.O. Box 445 Rocky Harbour NL A0K 4N0
Tel: 709-456-2628
Email: karolehp@yahoo.ca
Web: www.coastlinesstudio.com