PROVENANCE
The Art Emporium, Vancouver
The Art Emporium Inc., Seattle
Masters Gallery Ltd., Calgary
Private Collection, Calgary
Dr. Kieran Murphy, Toronto
Private Collection, Ontario

LITERATURE
A.Y. Jackson, A Painter’s Country: The Autobiography of A.Y. Jackson, 1958, page 132

In the autumn of 1957, A.Y. Jackson and fellow artist Maurice Haycock embarked on a six-week camping excursion to the Great Bear Lake region in the Northwest Territories, then on to Uranium City and Camsell Portage along the north shore of Lake Athabasca in Saskatchewan. An adventurous and resilient spirit, Jackson delighted in his formidable expeditions into the remote landscapes of Northern Canada.

This vibrant autumnal sketch, rendered in Jackson’s signature fluid brush-strokes, depicts the small settlement named after the geologist Charles Camsell. Jackson greatly admired Camsell, noting, “Probably no one knows more about northern Canada than Dr. Charles Camsell, geologist, explorer, and for many years Deputy Minister of Mines in the Federal Government.” This sketch is a study for a larger September 1957 canvas, titled Camsell Portage, which was gifted to another notable prospector, Gilbert LaBine, famous for his discovery of a uranium-rich pitchblende deposit on the shores of Great Bear Lake and the establishment of Eldorado Mine. This exceptional sketch not only reflects Jackson’s profound regard for the North but also connects to two key figures in the history of early geological exploration.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars