-
About the artwork and artist
Artist: Cory Trépanier (Artist/Filmmaker/Explorer)
Title: GlaciersideLocation: Henrietta Nesmith Glacier, Quttinirpaaq National Park, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada
2014, Oil on linen, 30” x 96”Five days into my trip on Ellesmere Island, and I had yet to start a painting. Camping near the top of the world in Quttinirpaaq National Park for a month with my brother Carl, we inched along the shoreline of Lake Hazen with ridiculous 120lb packs on our backs. We had landed a few days earlier, sorted through mounds of gear to select what was needed for a 10 day hike, which, with all the painting, filming and camping, was still enough to bury us. Three campsites later, we were at last set up within view of the leading edge of the landscape-dominating Henrietta Nesmith Glacier, a glacier so massive that it creates its own weather system.
Hiking further yet, I found this vantage point, one that offered an unparalleled view in one of the most remote and raw landscapes on earth. Under the watchful eyes of arctic wolves and muskox, I perched my half box French easel on the hillside and battled blowing sands from the polar desert that kept adding grit to my oil paints. It was worth it all for the sheer awe I felt in front of this icy spectacle.
‘Glacierside' is now travelling as part of Trepanier’s INTO THE ARCTIC Exhibition Tour, the culmination of a decade-long multi-media project, bringing his unprecedented collection of over 50 Arctic oil paintings and 3 films to museums across the United States. For a full itinerary and more, visit: http://www.intothearctic.ca/exhibitiontour/
Canadian Geographic named Trépanier one of Canada’s Top 100 Living Explorers. He is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and a member of the Explorer’s Club, receiving its highest award, the Stefansson Medal.
Watch the short INTO THE ARCTIC Exhibition Tour video here: