signed lower right; signed, titled and dated 2003 on the reverse
24 × 18 in (61.0 × 45.7 cm)
Auction Estimate:$10,000 - $15,000
Sale date:June 15, 2022
Price Realized
$19,200
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Private Collection, Ottawa
The son of a miner, Ted Harrison was born in 1926 in Windgate, County Durham, England. Harrison lived and worked in far-flung regions of the world, including Malaysia and New Zealand, before settling in Canada. Harrison lived in the Yukon from 1968 to 1993, and northern Canada deeply shaped his artistic sensibility. Having formed a profound bond to Canada, it is fitting that Harrison would pay tribute to the nation’s capital with his painting “On the Hill”.
The Parliament Buildings grandly loom over the scene, but it is the skaters in the foreground who energize the painting with life and movement. Harrison’s special talent lay in his ability to fill simplified figures with vitality and individual character. The lively figures take to the ice on a crisp winter night. One skater takes an unfortunate tumble, his red cap slipping off as others look on. The nocturnal scene is presented in undulating layers of pinks and wintery blues. With his distinctive sense of colour and form, Harrison portrayed the world around him with whimsy and affection.
