Contact David Mceown

Many thanks for visiting my web site. We are often on assignment  or on a painting trip but will try to reply to your messages as soon as possible!

Studio visits also  may be arranged in Vancouver and Richmond Hill - Ontario,  Canada through out the year. I  look forward to hear from you.

 

 

         

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Recent/Blog

News and blog posts about recent works, workshops, events, presentations, expeditions and exhibitions by Canadian artist David McEown.

Filtering by Category: extreme painting

Svalbard Journey by Sailboat

David McEown

Arctica , a 15 meter steel hull sailing boat customized for arctic conditions, was home and studio for 5 of us who chartered the vessel along with a skipper for 3 weeks.  This vessel, along with towing 2 zodiacs, gave us the flexibility and intimacy to explore the wonderful fjords and wildlife of a group of high arctic islands north of Norway called Svalbard.  Despite a very heavy ice year we managed to circumnavigate Spitzbergen, Svalbard's largest island, as well as explore many other islands.  Painting on location - either from the deck or on landings - was done around the clock , often in the glow of the midnight sun.

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categories Arctic, en plein air, Landscape painting, Northern Landscapes, watercolor, Watercolour, extreme painting
tags svalbard, spitsbergen, Arctic, Paintings, sailboat

North East Greenland

David McEown

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categories Arctic, Greenland, Landscape painting, Northern Landscapes, Watercolour, Yukon, extreme painting, en plein air
tags Arctic, Greenland, Greenland National Park, Scorsby sund, Wordie Glacier, Watercolor

North Pole by Icebreaker

David McEown

Painting in July at the North Pole

"Going up north" has taken on new meaning since returning from a month long expedition to the North Pole and Franz Josef Land. 

There were times while painting on the trembling bow of a northbound atomic icebreaker that I was the furthest north human on the planet.  Truly on top of the world! 

The quality of seeing is often more important than the object however the power of a place can awaken the senses and erase preconceptions.  This formidable yet fragile wilderness of endless ice and great white bears is so inspirational that I will have to go back.

The following paintings were painted on the drifting ice within the vicinity of the North Pole or on deck while moving through pack ice.  The islands of Franz Josef Land also provided much reference and wonder through its wild life and geological features.  Studio works from this expedition will be posted on this page soon. Thanks to the fellow passengers and the Quark Expedition team that helped make this adventure possible.

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categories Arctic, en plein air, extreme painting, Landscape painting, North East passage, Russian Arctic, Watercolour, watercolor
tags north pole, north east passage, Icebreaker, Franz joseph land, Yamal, en plein air, watercolour, quark expeditions

Semi - Circumnavigation of Antarctica

David McEown

Painting at the Dry Valleys , Antarctica

Antarctica is a painters dream. 
It's like discovering a new world of unforgiving beauty, a giant in scale, with shapes reduced to basic raw elements.  Colours of ice so subtle, translucent and fragile inhabited by innocent curious creatures that have no fear of us. 
The recent works on this page are inspired by a Semi-Circumnavigation Expedition by Icebreaker around Antarctica from November 2, (spring time down south) to December 12, and departed from the Cape Horn of South America and ending in New Zealand.  This spectacular and remote journey was made only possible by a polar class icebreaker, the Kapitan Klebnikov for Quark Expeditions. 
The visit to the historic huts of the Ross Sea is one of the highlights of our journey.  These were the expedition bases of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration.  In the morning we arrived at Cape Royds by helicopter from the ship parked 5 miles out on the ice edge.  This is where Shackleton's hut was built during his Nimrod Expedition of 1907-09, which included an attempt to reach the South Pole. See the Antarctica Project for more paintings!

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categories Antarctica, en plein air, extreme painting, Landscape painting, Watercolour, Ross Sea, Dry Valleys, Sir Ernest Shackleton
tags Antarctic paintings, Antarctica, ross sea, dry valleys, Nimrod hut, Sir Ernest Shackleton, quark expeditions, Kapitan Klebnikov, Peter the 1st island

Emperor Penguins, Snow Hill Island

David McEown

Painting with the Emperors on the sea ice near Snow Hill Island

These paintings were inspired by a Expedition to a remote Emperor Penguin rookery near Snow Hill Island on the Weddell Sea.

The trip to visit the emperor penguin rookeries of Snow Hill Island from November 2-14 was a whole new experience in landscape painting for me.  It brought back the experience years of life drawing at Art College.  Penguins are at first very simple and cartoon like to draw and paint, but one soon realizes the individual traits, complex gestures and body language of these hardy creatures.  There is a temptation to anthropomorphize penguins, however paying attention to how they echo the shapes and colours of their habitat can make for a truthful homage on paper. 

The rule for approaching the penguins is 15 feet or 5 meters, but this has to be done in a quiet and gentle manner.  Unlike most other places, wild life here have no fear or experience of humans thus are great models.  If one just stays still, the penguins and chicks will approach you with curiosity since they have no 15-foot rule. 

I will start drawing some of the key penguins before they walk out of the picture, or up to my painting for a critique! 

The chicks are unbelievably cute, yet the harsh reminder of life and death is all around. Some chicks are emaciated waiting to be fed or have lost their parents.  Many of the dead chicks are picked clean to the bone from the giant petrals and skuas. 

Emperors can weigh up to 90lbs and standing 3 feet tall when they stretch.  They are so gentle and non aggressive, to have one look down at you eye to eye while you sit, truly is comparable to being visited by an extraterrestrial being.  However realizing this is our fellow creature just trying to make a go of it on this planet warms the heart and wonder of it all!

For more information on the antarctica project and works from other penguin colonies visit the Antarctica project. 

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categories Antarctica, en plein air, extreme painting, Landscape painting, watercolor, Watercolour, Snow Hill island, Emperor Penguins
tags emperor Penguins, Snow Hill Island, watercolour, extreme Painting, Antarctic paintings, Antarctica, Penguins

Northwest Passage, Canadian Arctic, Nunavut, High arctic

David McEown

The icebreaker looks like a toy in the cast landscape of Tanquary Fiord, Ellesmere island.

The following watercolours were painted on location during a 7 week arctic odyssey aboard an icebreaker while working as artist in residence for Quark Expeditions.   The Kapitan Khlebnikov successfully completed this transit of the Northwest passage, from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean through Fury & Hecla Strait, between 19th July & 9th of August 2006 (including 7 days beset by ice in the Arctic Ocean).  We then explored the spectacular coastlines and wonderful artistic communities of Baffin Island.  On August 16 from Resolute, our adventure continued north through the remote fiords of Canada's High Arctic to our destination at Ellesmere National Park.  We thus returned to Resolute empowered yet humbled by the sublime and stark vastness of this place. More works from these polar trip can be viewed on the Arctic project page. 

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categories Arctic, Baffin island, Devon island, en plein air, extreme painting, Landscape painting, Northern Landscapes, Nunavut
tags Arctic, Ellesmere island, Tanquary Fiord, Quark Expeditions, north west passage, Paintings, extreme Painting, polar artist, arctic paintings