Ted Harrison
1926 - 2015
As an artist he is known for his bold, colourful paintings and silk screen prints of life in the Yukon. Because many of Ted Harrison’s paintings had numerous colours, the degree of difficulty in making his prints was heightened. Ted Harrison’s artwork translates well to the medium of serigraphy because of the areas of solid colour and clear delineations. His print editions were limited to a run of 200. In addition to his work as a painter, Harrison has written several children’s books and illustrated both The Cremation of Sam McGee and The Shooting of Dan McGrew by Robert Service. Other projects include his design of the Yukon Pavilion for Vancouver Expo’ 86 and the design of a Canada Post Christmas Stamp in 1996.
His paintings can be found in private and public collections throughout Canada, and in New Zealand, Japan, Germany and the United States. In 1987 he received the Order of Canada for his contribution to Canadian culture. He was awarded a honourary doctorate from The University of Athabasca (AB) in 1991, a honourary doctorate in Fine Arts from The University of Victoria (BC) in 1998 and a distinguished Alumni Award from University of Alberta (AB) in 2002. He also holds an honorary doctorate of Law. In 1993 he moved to Victoria, British Columbia to continue his painting and writing. He was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Art in 2005.