David Blackwood in his studio. (photo by Stephen Amini)
Newfoundland-born artist David Blackwood, known for his haunting etchings of the province's outports, died July 2 in Port Hope, Ont., after a long illness. He was 80.
Blackwood was born in 1941 in Wesleyville to a family with a long seafaring history. He won a scholarship to the Ontario College of Art in Toronto and remained in Ontario after he completed his studies in 1963, but maintained a studio in his hometown on Newfoundland's northeast coast.
By the time he was 23, one of his etchings had been purchased by the National Gallery of Canada.
He become art master at Trinity College School in Port Hope, a part-time position that allowed him to teach and continue his studio work.
In 1969, he was appointed the first artist-in-residence at Erindale College, University of Toronto, in Mississauga, a position he held until 1975.
In 1992, the Blackwood Gallery, named in his honour, was officially opened at the Erindale campus. That same year, he received honorary doctorates from the University of Calgary and Memorial University in St. John's, Nfld.
Over the years, Blackwood exhibited nationally and internationally in some 90 solo shows. His works are in the collections of many public galleries in Canada, and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
The National Film Board's 1974 documentary film, Blackwood, was nominated for an Academy Award.
In 2000, the Art Gallery of Ontario created the Blackwood Research Centre, making the Toronto gallery the official institution of record for the artist's work.
Blackwood is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario.
