Wilberforce Falls by Cory Trépanier

Story of the Painting from the Artist’s Point of View: Painting in the Arctic has offered me a wealth of new experiences: encounters with wildlife, learning about Inuit culture, connecting with history, studying hardy and ephemeral Arctic flora. This is Kattimannap Qurlua (formerly called Wilberforce Falls), Nunavut. Some of the only art I had seen from this hidden gem is an etching from explorer John Franklin’s first expedition, which travelled up the Hood River in 1821. His crew included artists George Back and Robert Hood, from whose sketches an etching was derived. Franklin was so impressed with the falls during his early explorations that he named them after William Wilberforce, a British politician whose life’s work led eventually to the abolition of the slave trade in most of the British Empire. This natural wonder captivated me completely as I tied my easel to a nearby bush at the cliff’s edge. I reveled in the roar of the water, was mesmerized by the colorful, shifting prism in the mist and was awed by the steep, red-walled cliffs. Here, I felt the exhilaration of painting in a truly wild place, one that I hope will remain so forever. Cory Trépanier Painting Wilberforce Falls   Art Reproduction