Ted Harrison
Encyclopedia
Edward Hardy "Ted" Harrison, CM
(born August 28, 1926) is a Canadian
artist
notable for his paintings of the Yukon
.
, County Durham
, England
and currently lives in Victoria
, British Columbia
, Canada.
Harrison started to paint at the West Hartlepool School of Art in England. Although interrupted by war, Harrison went on to complete his studies, being awarded a National Diploma in Design from the College in 1949. His subsequent earning of a teaching certificate from the University of Durham led to a teaching career that lasted almost three decades.
Then, from 1967, he resided in Yukon
, Canada
, a location with prominence in many of his works. He stayed there until 1993. His work from this period focused on the colours and culture of the Yukon.
He has worked, since the 1970s and thus in his post-academic capacity, not only as an artist but also as an illustrator
and author
. His work in the field earned him a national first: selection for the International Children’s Book Exhibition in Bologna
, Italy. One of his illustration is of the Robert Service
poem 'The Cremation of Sam McGee
'. He often assigns unfamiliar tone to depicted features.
In 1987 Harrison was made a Member of the Order of Canada
for his contributions to Canadian culture. He also holds honorary doctorates from Athabasca University
(1991), the University of Victoria (1998) and the University of Alberta
(2005).
Harrison's wife, Nicky, died from Alzheimer's disease
in 2000. Harrison has since helped raise money for Alzheimer foundations.
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...
(born August 28, 1926) is a Canadian
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...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
notable for his paintings of the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
.
Life and work
Ted Harrison was born in WingateWingate, County Durham
Wingate is a village in County Durham, EnglandWingate is a former pit village with a mixture of 19th-century, post-war, and more recent housing developments, it was originally enhabited by around 30 farmers before 1839 when coal was discovered. It is located in the East of County Durham, three...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and currently lives in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada.
Harrison started to paint at the West Hartlepool School of Art in England. Although interrupted by war, Harrison went on to complete his studies, being awarded a National Diploma in Design from the College in 1949. His subsequent earning of a teaching certificate from the University of Durham led to a teaching career that lasted almost three decades.
Then, from 1967, he resided in Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Canada
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...
, a location with prominence in many of his works. He stayed there until 1993. His work from this period focused on the colours and culture of the Yukon.
He has worked, since the 1970s and thus in his post-academic capacity, not only as an artist but also as an illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. His work in the field earned him a national first: selection for the International Children’s Book Exhibition in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, Italy. One of his illustration is of the Robert Service
Robert W. Service
Robert William Service was a poet and writer who has often been called "the Bard of the Yukon".Service is best known for his poems "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", from his first book, Songs of a Sourdough...
poem 'The Cremation of Sam McGee
The Cremation of Sam McGee
"The Cremation of Sam McGee" is among the most famous of Robert W. Service's poems. It was published in 1907 in The Songs of a Sourdough...
'. He often assigns unfamiliar tone to depicted features.
In 1987 Harrison was made a Member of 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...
for his contributions to Canadian culture. He also holds honorary doctorates from Athabasca University
Athabasca University
Athabasca University is a Canadian university in Athabasca, Alberta. It is an accredited research institution which also offers distance education courses and programs. Courses are offered primarily in English with some French offerings. Each year, 32,000 students attend the university. It offers...
(1991), the University of Victoria (1998) and the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
(2005).
Harrison's wife, Nicky, died from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
in 2000. Harrison has since helped raise money for Alzheimer foundations.