"On Site with Maurice Haycock, Artist of the Arctic"
PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS OF HISTORICAL SITES IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC

Announcing the launch of a new book by an amazing artist/scientist whose life embraced most of the 20th century.

Maurice Haycock was born in Canada in the Victorian era, before cars, phones, radios and air travel. He went on to learn to use a computer at 80 and predicted the coming of the internet. He lived in the Arctic in 1926-27, painted at the North Pole, discovered a mineral which was named “haycockite” after him, was a worldwide recognized geologist and Canada’s most traveled Arctic artist. For almost 40 years he traveled and painted across Canada’s northern wilderness.

“The beauty and authentic character of his painting reflects his interest in capturing the immense natural variety and history of our land in a scientifically realistic yet personally interpreted way”. -Massey Medal Citation, 1980

The preservation of Canada’s Arctic historic sites was one of his greatest concerns and it is hoped that the publication and distribution of this stunningly beautiful illustrated book will contribute to awareness and protection of our priceless northern history. This release is in conjunction with the Northwest Passage Celebrations. The publication of this book is a project of Arctic Quest and Polar Artists Group, and supported by International Polar Year.

Maurice Haycock’s paintings of Arctic historic sites are a unique, authentic and artistically beautiful record of some of the most significant places in Canadian history and prehistory. Archeological sites and signs of exploration and travel are well preserved in the Arctic. Haycock was fascinated with the visible past and how it was shaped by the exposed geology. He became a scholar of early indigenous movement and settlement, Inuit history and European exploration in the Arctic and assembled a fascinating and comprehensive collection of paintings based on his visits to historical sites.

shown on right: Maurice Hall Haycock, 1927

I am delighted to see this long overdue publication of Maurice Haycock’s remarkable Arctic paintings. Inspired by AY Jackson to portray the Canadian Arctic, Haycock’s paintings and writings offer us the rare opportunity to glimpse a pioneer’s journey through the Arctic Landscape.
Doris McCarthy, Canadian Artist

Some of the most important and dramatic stories of the Arctic region are presented here by a master storyteller – one of the most reliable, discerning, sensitive and thought-provoking interpreters of Arctic landscapes and Arctic history of our time…No one has captured the feeling, and the settings in which important events of the human history of the Canadian Arctic have been played out, as well as Maurice Haycock.
E. F. Roots, Scientist, Department of Environment, Canada

His paintings contain a sense of life, a vitality that transcends the muted colours of the Arctic landscape. He has captured a part of Canada that few of us ever see. His landscapes, seascapes and icescapes surge across the canvas to give is striking views of a hostile land. A land through which he travelled with comfort, familiarity and self assurance.
Joe MacInnis, Scientist and Deep-Sea Explorer

Haycock’s striking paintings of the historic sites bring to life the exploration of the Canadian Arctic and the search for the Franklin expedition, and his words bring us back to those days – in his own lifetime – when the Canadian Arctic was still barely touched by those who ventured from the South.
William Barr, Arctic Institute of North America