Ted Godwin

Notes:

signed & titled on the stretcher corner verso

Notes:

titled & dated on the gallery labels verso

Provenance: Gallery Moos, Toronto ON; Art Rental and Sales Gallery of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto ON

Ted Godwin was born and raised in Calgary. He attended the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and Art (1951-1955) and, upon graduating, worked as a television art director, a neon sign designer and a commercial artist. He moved to Regina in 1959, where he began to attend the Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops. In 1964 he began teaching at the University of Saskatchewan (Regina Campus), then at the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Regina. He returnined to Calgary after his retirement in 1985. Godwin was a founding member of the ground-breaking modernist group of painters known as the Regina Five. He received many awards during his career, including membership in the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (1974), the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), an honorary degree from the University of Regina (2001), and Officer of the Order of Canada (2004).

Godwin’s streambank paintings, while initially appearing representational, upon further contemplation reveal the artist’s deep interest in the abstract, and his drive to uncover and express the colours and patterns evident within nature. The works are gestural, bold and colourful, typically painted from a low perspective; they explore the interplay of tangled shrubs, trees, rocks and water along the water’s edge. These streambank images are deeply personal for Godwin, an avid fisherman, whose family had a long-standing connection to the river. Ted writes (on page 11 of “Lower Bow: A Celebration of Wilderness, Art and Fishing”; Ted Godwin & Geoffrey Simmins; Hard Art Moving and Storage Co. Ltd., Calgary; 1991):

“Growing up by the Elbow River, our house was closer to the prairie and wilderness than to downtown, and the riverbank was my natural playground. No stranger to nature, Dad enjoyed taking me for a walk along the river, occasionally with fishing rods. In so doing, he relived his past at the same time instilling a love of streamside in me…In retrospect, most of the time I spent growing up was streamside, although this memory lay dormant for a long time. Old memories now merge with new and the only constant is the current of the dark stream that flows through my life. It seems to me that the images and rhythms of streamside have formed an integral part of whatever it is that is Ted.”

Notes:

signed & titled on the stretcher verso

Notes:

signed & titled on the corner of the stretcher verso

Provenance: Estate of Bill and Peggy Code, Calgary AB; Wallace Galleries, Calgary AB

Reference: “Lower Bow: A Celebration of Wilderness, Art and Fishing” (Ted Godwin & Geoffrey Simmins; Hard Art Moving and Storage Co. Ltd.; 1991)

Streams and waterways feature prominently in Ted Godwin’s paintings. As a mature artist, it would seem that the subject held particular significance for the artist, who identified as a Buddhist. Godwin grew up on the banks of the Elbow River in Calgary, walking and fly fishing the river with his father. Both his parents’ ashes were later scattered over the Bow River. In his book (page 11), Godwin wrote:

“In retrospect, most of the time I spent growing up was streamside, although this memory lay dormant for a long time. Old memories now merge with new and the only constant is the current of the dark stream that flows through my life. It seems to me that the images and rhythms of streamside have formed an integral part of whatever it is that is Ted.”

Ted Godwin was the youngest member of the Regina Five, a name given to the avant-garde group of artists when they were featured in the National Gallery of Canada’s 1961 touring exhibition “Five Painters from Regina”. Initially recognized for his abstract expressionist works, and his formalist “Tartan” series, Godwin’s later works, by comparison, appear representational. Beneath the surface of their representational framework, Godwin’s streambank paintings are rooted in abstraction. Whether of his beloved Bow River, the waterways of Central and Eastern Canada, or the National Parks of the North, these works are all gesturally bold, colourful and highly patterned. Here, Godwin explores the visual elements from the low perspective of a fly fisherman, accentuating the interplay between tangled shrubs, trees, rocks and water.

Notes:

signed and titled on the stretcher corner verso

Provenance: Collection of Ted and Phyllis Godwin, Calgary AB

Notes:

signed & titled verso; dated on the gallery label verso
Provenance: Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto ON / Vancouver BC

Ted Godwin, the youngest member of the Regina Five, is known for his early abstract expressionist paintings, and for his formalist “Tartan series” (grid-like abstracts with interwoven bands of paint). His later work, influenced by his love of fly fishing, appears at first viewing to be representational. A reading beyond the surface of the canvas, however, reveals his deep interest in the abstract – the colour and patterns evident within nature. These streambank paintings, whether of his beloved Bow River in Calgary, the waterways of Eastern Canada, or the National Parks of the North, are all gesturally bold and colourful, typically from a low perspective, exploring the interplay of tangled shrubs, trees, rocks and water along the water’s edge.