David Blackwood, iconic Newfoundland artist, dies at 80
CBC
World-renowned artist, teacher, and Newfoundlander David Blackwood has died.
Blackwood passed away Saturday at his home in Port Hope, Ontario, surrounded by family after a long illness.
His work presented working life in outport Newfoundland as something vast and dark, with mysterious depths beneath every surface.
Blackwood's death comes not even a month after the loss of another equally legendary artist from Newfoundland and Labrador, Christopher Pratt.
Born in 1941 in Wesleyville, Blackwood was raised among people working on the sea who would continue to inspire his work throughout his life.
An artistic prodigy from a young age, Blackwood was awarded a Government of Newfoundland Centennial scholarship to train at the Ontario College of Art. By age 23, his work was being displayed in the National Gallery.
Blackwood is perhaps best known for his blue-black etchings and prints, which often portray scenes from outport life, mummers, icebergs, whales, and men at sea, all formed of contrasting dark shadows and bright white light.
"David Blackwood created a mythology for Newfoundland," says Emma Butler, gallery owner and friend of the Blackwoods.
The Emma Butler Gallery opened in 1987 featuring David Blackwood's work.
"People know about those amazing stories of the shipwrecks and sealing disasters, stories of mummering and images of splitting tables and flakes and all these things."
"People know about Newfoundland through the images of David Blackwood," she said.
Some of his most recognizable works are the series of prints made in the 1960s and 1970s, The Lost Party, detailing the 1914 Newfoundland sealing disaster with harrowing scenes of sealers in boats, a dark, rich world around them.
With over 50 etchings in the series, it remains one of the largest thematically linked series of prints in Canadian history.
Blackwood's work has been exhibited internationally, with over 90 solo shows, and two major retrospective exhibitions.
Women and children staying at Regina Transition House now have access to Santa’s workshop — a safe space where mothers can choose Christmas gifts for their children.
A man from Powell River, B.C., is thankful to be alive after a stranger helped him while he was choking at a restaurant during a visit to Whistler.
When it comes to Hamilton readers' favourite library books of 2025, romance and mysteries are in close competition.
From the Detroit Lions losing to Apple iPhones that spontaneously update, Windsorites had things that bugged them this year.
Calgary emergency rooms are “in a state of critical overcapacity” ahead of the anticipated peak of flu season — and to cope with the surge and wait-room crowding, officials are urging doctors to speed up their decisions on whether to admit patients, according to a memo obtained by CBC News.
Northern Ontario's highway system needs improvements in order to make travel safer, a highway safety advocate said.
Hundreds of thousands of used tires are piling up across Ontario as some companies responsible for tire recycling have stopped processing tires amid reduced provincial recycling regulations for tire producers, industry experts say.
People in Guelph facing homelessness will soon have a new place to go during the day.
Islanders are reminded to plan their rides ahead of holiday festivities if they plan on drinking alcohol or using cannabis.
Even before Gwen Healey Akearok began her new role as Nunavut’s Minister of Family Services, she was tuning into the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) hearings on the state of the Family Services department.
The racial reckoning of the COVID era saw Canada grapple with its checkered past — a process that led to statues of some foundational figures being removed, in some instances by force.
Holiday traditions are front and centre for many people at this time of year. But one Uxbridge family's Christmas tradition goes above and beyond the standard Christmas carols or holiday party.
A pedestrian is dead, and police are investigating following a collision in a north London parking lot on Tuesday afternoon.