"Kirk Wipper Paddles into Peterborough"
©2010, 20" by 16", Watercolour
This painting was an absolute pleasure to create.
It started as an idea that I had in late 2009 in which I wanted to take the opportunity to paint the Peterborough liftlocks (arguably the area's most recognizable local landmark) with a person paddling out of them in a canoe. It occurred to me that, with Kirk Wipper's legacy of bringing the Canadian Canoe Museum to Peterborough, he was the ideal symbolic choice as paddler.
I approached Kirk and his wife Ann with the idea, and they were kindly enthusiastic. They provided a number of pictures of Kirk for me to work from, and Kirk also chose his favourite birch bark canoe, his favourite mode of dress, and his favourite hat.
I then went about getting an appropriate picture of the liftlocks. It might interest you to know that the picture of the liftlocks on which this painting was based was taken in the dead of winter. I was able to walk out on the ice at the base of the structure, and take it from the exact location, and from the exact angle that I wanted. I then set about the task of figuring out what the area would look like in summer with water in the canal, and leaves on the trees.
The last detail was adding the reflective image of the pictograph (the logo of the Canoe Museum) in the wake behind Kirk as he paddles off of the painting into an unknown future.
I gave Kirk the original, and am told that he absolutely adored it. In fact, when he left us in 2011, this painting was hanging on walls of his memorial, surrounded by other artifacts collected over his lifetime.
Kirk Wipper Paddles into Peterborough
Frames
Prints
Reproductions of my art are available printed either on paper or canvas. Both formats are signed by me, the artist, and are high quality, full-colour prints of a high resolution scan or photograph of the original painting. All prints are inspected to ensure that the colours match the source and created using inks that are guaranteed to resist both fading and UV light.
Paper Reproductions
These are printed on high quality paper to give them the look and feel of the original painting. In terms of the dimensions listed, please keep in mind that they are approximate. Since I custom mat and frame the prints myself, I reproduce them at specific sizes so that when they are matted to standard matting dimensions, the mat-board borders are consistent widths on all sides. It’s because of this that I highly recommend that you upgrade to the matted version (seriously, go do it now).
Now, if you've ordered a print that is not a standard sized when matted, then I highly recommend that you go back and order it in a frame. As described in the sister section Frames, I do all my own framing using reclaimed wood and am affordable.
Stretched Canvases
If you want to avoid matting and framing altogether, then I suggest that you order the canvas option. I stretch the canvases myself using reclaimed wood and, with a profile that is an inch and a half thick, the art will make a strong statement on your wall.