David Blackwood

David Blackwood (1941 - 2022) is recognized as a prominent Canadian printmaker renowned for his visual storytelling of the essence of the legend and the lugged landscape in Newfoundland. Born into a family with a rich seafaring history in the outport community of Wesleyville, his upbringing in outport Newfoundland profoundly influenced his art, predominantly focusing on marine subjects. Blackwood was granted a Government of Newfoundland Centennial Scholarship in 1959, enabling him to study at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto where he discovered printmaking. After graduating in 1963, he became an Art Master at the Trinity College School in Ontario.

His subject matter delves into the seafaring history of Newfoundland, depicting the lives of its people and the wildlife inhabitants. In 2011, the Art Gallery of Ontario hosted Blackwood’s first museum retrospective, showcasing his iconic work ‘Fire Down on the Labrador ‘ (1980). The National Film Board of Canada produced a documentary about Blackwood in 1976, which earned a nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject at the Academy Awards. Blackwood resided in Ontario until his passing, where he continued to make drawings, woodcuts, and watercolour paintings, leaving a lasting legacy in the Canadian art scene.