The Eckaloo Going Upstream - Mackenzie River (Near Fort Simpson) N.W.T, 1962

Private Collection, Toronto

“The Eckaloo Going Upstream - Mackenzie River” of August 1962 is a painting sketched when Lorne Bouchard and his wife Lucille were guests of David and Claire Molson on their yacht, "Laird River". Together they travelled 1200 miles on the historic Mackenzie River, from Hay River on Great Slave Lake to the Beaufort Sea in the western Arctic. The 150 foot CCGS Eckaloo serves to create a sense of scale, implying the enormity of the region. The play of the moonlight piercing the overcast sky and dancing upon the scene is described in terms of Bouchard’s repertoire of greys referred to in the painting. David Molson, along with his two brothers, William and Peter, were owners of the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club until 1971. Claire and David Molson were enthusiastic art collectors and encouraging of Lorne Bouchard, as well as John Little. Within a couple of years of selling the Canadiens, David Molson purchased Continental Galleries from the estate of Mrs. Vilma (Shima) Lafontaine.