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.

Linda Mackey

Artist's statement

Every trip to the Arctic has been a spiritual and emotional journey for me. Whether it's following an icebreaker and supply ship through the ice off Devon Island, learning the Inuit survival techniques and the struggle that they've had throughout history, or seeing the glaciers melt away and polar bears search for food, as we experienced this time. The voyage this summer revealed drastic environmental changes that would even make the mountains cry out to humankind to change our ways. As the snow is melting on the mountains, the shapes represent tears. The sunbeams, God's light, reflect on the mountains and snow, giving us hope that we can change our ways before it's too late.

Painting:
When Mountains Cry Out
24" x 36"
Oil on Canvas

Biography

Linda Mackey, Canadian landscape artist, is Art Liaison for International Polar Year IPO (www.ipy.org), Director of Arctic Quest and founder of Polar Artists Group. She first travelled to the High Arctic in 2002 with renowned artist Doris McCarthy and returned with a passion to share the Arctic with others. She led a group of artists to Pangnirtung, Baffin Island for a sketching trip in 2004, and with Kathy Haycock of Eganville, Ontario, and Bonnie Levinthal of Philadelphia, began plans for Arctic Quest and celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Northwest Passage in 2006. The Arctic Quest project is fully endorsed by IPY, project #338.

Linda’s painting “Follow Your Dreams” was presented to Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor the Honourable James Bartleman in 2006 by the TDCSB as part of their twinning initiative between Nunavut and schools in Toronto. Linda has taught thousands of school children and artists art workshops based on her Arctic travels and is Artist in Residence for the TDCSB and The Club at Bond Head. She has also been Artist in Residence and presented powerpoint presentations and workshops on the Arctic for galleries, museums, and art groups including McMichael Canadian Art Collection and Varley Art Gallery. Linda is a former board member of the Society of Canadian Artists and an elected Signature Member of the Worldwide Nature Artists Group.

The Arctic inspired Linda to simplify light and form in her paintings and she is best known for her Arctic landscapes. She has won several awards for her work, which can be found in collections across Canada, United States, and England.