Ken Danby
Encyclopedia
Ken Danby, was a Canadian
painter in the realist
style.
Danby is best known for creating highly realistic paintings that study everyday life. His At the Crease (1972) is an iconic and widely reproduced work in Canada, portraying a masked hockey
goalie defending his net.
In 1975, Danby was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
. He has also been a recipient of the Jessie Dow Prize, the 125th Anniversary Commemorative Medal of Canada, the City of Sault Ste. Marie's Award of Merit and both the Queen's Silver and Golden Jubilee Medals.
In the 1980s he prepared a series of watercolours
about the Americas Cup and the Canadian athletes at the 1984 Winter Olympics
in Sarajevo
. Danby has served on the governing board of the Canada Council
and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Canada
.
In 1997, Danby received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Laurentian University
in Sudbury, Ontario
. In 2001, he was vested in both the Order of Ontario
and the Order of Canada
.
with his wife Gillian Danby and friends. The party summoned help, but paramedics were unable to revive him.
Danby is the second famous Canadian artist to die in Algonquin Park. Tom Thomson
died on Canoe Lake
at the park in July 1917. Canadian writer Blair Frazer also drowned in the park on the Petawawa River's Rollaway Rapids in May 1968.
, is an actor and has been in various commercials, movies and television shows, most notably the drama series Painkiller Jane
where he played the character Connor King
.
Walk of Fame - Sault Ste. Marie
, and a street named after him in his home of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He was inducted into the Sault's Walk of Fame in 2006: Ken Danby Way in the Sault includes the Public Library and fittingly, the Art Gallery of Algoma.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
painter in the realist
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
style.
Life and work
Ken Danby enrolled at the Ontario College of Art in 1958. His first exhibition in 1964 sold out.Danby is best known for creating highly realistic paintings that study everyday life. His At the Crease (1972) is an iconic and widely reproduced work in Canada, portraying a masked hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
goalie defending his net.
In 1975, Danby was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy...
. He has also been a recipient of the Jessie Dow Prize, the 125th Anniversary Commemorative Medal of Canada, the City of Sault Ste. Marie's Award of Merit and both the Queen's Silver and Golden Jubilee Medals.
In the 1980s he prepared a series of watercolours
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
about the Americas Cup and the Canadian athletes at the 1984 Winter Olympics
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...
in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
. Danby has served on the governing board of the Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
.
In 1997, Danby received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Laurentian University
Laurentian University
Laurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
in Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. In 2001, he was vested in both the Order of Ontario
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
and the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Death
On September 23, 2007, Danby collapsed while on a canoe trip in Algonquin Park near North Tea LakeNorth Tea Lake
North Tea Lake is a lake in the Ottawa River drainage basin in the geographic townships of Ballantyne and Wilkes in the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is on the Amable du Fond River and lies in the northwest of Algonquin Provincial Park...
with his wife Gillian Danby and friends. The party summoned help, but paramedics were unable to revive him.
Danby is the second famous Canadian artist to die in Algonquin Park. Tom Thomson
Tom Thomson
Thomas John Thomson , also known as Tom Thomson, was an influential Canadian artist of the early 20th century. He directly influenced a group of Canadian painters that would come to be known as the Group of Seven, and though he died before they formally formed, he is sometimes incorrectly credited...
died on Canoe Lake
Canoe Lake (Nipissing District, Ontario)
Canoe Lake is a lake located in Algonquin Provincial Park in Nipissing District, Ontario, Canada. Canoe Lake is a major access point for many canoeists entering Algonquin Park as well as being home to many cottages....
at the park in July 1917. Canadian writer Blair Frazer also drowned in the park on the Petawawa River's Rollaway Rapids in May 1968.
Family
Danby was married and had three sons. His son, Noah DanbyNoah Danby
Noah Dalton Danby is a Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for portraying Connor King on the series Painkiller Jane.-Life:...
, is an actor and has been in various commercials, movies and television shows, most notably the drama series Painkiller Jane
Painkiller Jane (TV series)
Painkiller Jane was an American-Canadian science fiction and action television series based on the comic book character of the same name. Airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the US starting April 13, 2007 and Global in Canada, it starred Kristanna Loken as the titular character...
where he played the character Connor King
Connor King
Connor King , is a character who appears on the Painkiller Jane TV Series, created by Gil Grant that began its run in 2007 on the Sci-Fi Channel.-Overview:...
.
Awards
- Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
- Order of OntarioOrder of OntarioThe Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
- Royal College of ArtRoyal College of ArtThe Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
Walk of Fame - Sault Ste. Marie
Other information
Ken Danby has a school named after him on Grange Road in Guelph, OntarioGuelph, Ontario
Guelph is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Waterloo and west of downtown Toronto at the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 7. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it...
, and a street named after him in his home of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He was inducted into the Sault's Walk of Fame in 2006: Ken Danby Way in the Sault includes the Public Library and fittingly, the Art Gallery of Algoma.
External links
- Official site
- Order of Canada Citation
- Kenneth Edison Danby at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...