Skeena Crossing 1926

This is a painting of Skeena Crossing by A.Y. Jackson, and it looks like he’s used oil paint to capture this landscape. What I see is a village, maybe in autumn, with wooden structures and tall totem poles standing like watchful figures. I wonder what it was like for Jackson to stand there, easel in front of him, mixing those blues and browns to try and catch the light. The mountains in the background are these strong blue shapes, and the sky is swirly and atmospheric. And then, those totem poles! Each one different, each one topped with a bird, like nature’s own sentinels. You can almost feel the wind and hear the crows squawking. There’s a Group of Seven feel here, for sure, but there’s something else too. A real connection to the place, a curiosity about the people who lived there, and a respect for the land. Painting, after all, is always a conversation, right? We look, we learn, and we pass it on.