Ted Godwin was a member of the Regina Five group of painters and a key figure in championing non-representational abstraction in Saskatchewan in the 1960s. After undergoing heart surgery in 1974, Godwin experienced a period of personal reflection, leading to a significant shift in his art—moving away from abstraction to depict the landscape. Godwin was a life-long, passionate fisherman, and felt a deep connection to the river landscapes. Drawing on his skills as a discerning colourist and his technical ability to create interwoven patterns, Godwin reveals beauty and harmony in the tangled riverbed.

Godwin is represented in many public and private collections in Canada, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Canada Council Art Bank, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Glenbow Museum. Godwin was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy in 1974. Together with his fellow members of the Regina Five, he was given an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Regina in 2001, and in that same year, he received the Alberta College of Art Award of Excellence. In 2004, he was given the Order of Canada.