Down River

After leaving the Morice River we spent several days working our way downstream along the Bulkley Valley and then eventually joining forces with the mighty Skeena River. It is staggering to think of the size of this watershed and the number of prime salmon rivers that help feed the Skeena on its way to the ocean. It is also staggering to think about the thousands of years these salmon have been returning to these waters and the significance they have on First Nations and all living things that are part of this complex ecosystem.

Bulkley Valley, Fall (8x10) oil on panel. P. Corbett.

Heading down the Skeena River towards Terrace, we turn up the Copper River logging road and start heading towards the pipeline route once again. The proposed route crosses the headwaters of the Chlore River which is a major tributary to the Copper River. This river system not only produces salmon but is considered to be a world class steelhead stream; an angling destination I have returned to many times over the years and one that I hold dear to my heart.

Copper River Steelhead Run (8x10) oil on panel. G. Clark

The urge to cast a fly upon these great waters was eventually too much for me and soon I was geared up and standing in the river, lost to the rhythm of water, fish and fly. Steelheading is not like most other forms of fishing, it becomes obsessive. Like most obsessions, it is driven by two factors, scarcity of the fish versus the greatness of the reward. With each passing hour and another stretch of water fished with no luck, the obsession takes hold. Hands, feet and heart aching from cold, you tell yourself one more run and then thats it but you never stop. And so it was on that day, on the very last run of the day with daylight fading fast that a steelhead took my fly and immediately demonstrated its magnificent strength and beauty. Landed and immediately released back into the water, it was now time for Glenn and I to head back home.

 Ocean bright steelhead caught and released on the Chlore River.

Houston

After an enjoyable stop over at Wells, we proceeded towards Houston to paint the portion of the pipeline route between Burns Lake and the Morice River. The landscape is dominated by rolling hills and scattered lakes. A large wildfire had swept across the area leaving towering black sentinels as a reminder of the forces of nature that are constantly at play and out of our control.

Burnt Forest, Parrott Lake (8X10) oil on panel. G. Clark

The stochastic nature of wildfires leaves many stands of forest unburnt, creating a patchwork mosaic of colour across the landscape. This resulting variety of habitats creates a high level of biodiversity and helps support the rich abundance of wildlife in the area.

Aspen, Lower Parrott Lake (8X10) oil on panel. P. Corbett

The proposed pipeline route then heads west and enters the Morice River at Owen Flats. Just 2 days prior to our arrival at the flats, a man while out fishing was seriously mauled by a female grizzly bear. Once again, we are humbled by the forces of nature, for we do not dominate this landscape and must learn to live in harmony with the earth and respect the natural powers that our stronger than ourselves.

Owen Flats, Morice River (8X10) oil on panel. G. Clark

 Campsite at Aspen, Morice River (8X10) oil on panel. P. Corbett

Autumn Colours

We started our fall trip by stopping in at Wells to visit some friends and to begin painting the fall colours of the north. We were joined out in the field with friend and fellow artists David Harder. While Glenn and I happily painted away the fall colours, David completed one of his many landscape installations he has been creating around Wells this summer. His work reflects man's relationship with the land and are ephemeral in nature, allowing the elements to alter his work as they pass through time and are reclaimed back to the earth.

David J Harder and his piece "The Rook".

Taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and the great fall colours, we found ourselves atop of the Great Grey Whale on the painting platform soaking in the sun and the vistas. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Glenn in his "happy place" atop of the Great Grey Whale.

Swamps seem to be a recurring theme in our work. Elements of water reflecting the sky, strong vertical lines in a horizontally dominated landscape and the ecological value of these wetlands draws us to their beauty once again. While painting the swamp below, I heard a splashing sound just out of view. Slowly we see a black bear emerge from the dark shadows and swim across the swamp. Upon reaching the other side, the bear crawled out of the water and shook itself like a wet dog. Content now in the morning sun, the bear grazed upon the lush vegetation provided by the swamp and then slowly sauntered off into the forest with no regard for our presence. Once again, we are reminded as to why we must protect these habitats and continue our opposition to the Northern Gateway Pipeline proposal.

Black Bear Swamp (8x10) oil on panel. P. Corbett

Fort St. James

Winding our way across the plateau on our way to Fort St. James, the magnitude of the Enbridge  proposal really began to sink in. The sheer number of rivers and stream crossings and the vast number of lakes, swamps and wetlands the pipeline must navigate through is astounding. The potential risks to not only fish and wildlife but the human communities that rely on these rich resources seems misguided. Everywhere we travelled, the opposition to the pipeline project was overwhelming. The support our project received from native communities was very encouraging and helped us realize the importance of our work; to give a voice and vision to those that have been silenced.

Fraser Plateau, Pipeline Crossing (8x10) oil on panel. Peter Corbett

The proposed route of the pipeline crosses just south of the town Fort St. James and through the territory of the Nak'azdli Band. Once again, governments and corporations are attempting to impose their wishes onto us all "for the greater good of Canadians", while forcing the local communities to assume all of the social and environmental risk.

Stewart Lake, Fort St. James (8x10) oil on panel. Glenn Clark

Heading west from Fort St. James along the extensive network of logging roads that crosses over the proposed pipeline route, we eventually got to a high point of land where we looked west towards Burns Lake and Boer Mountain. This was the terminus of the first leg of our journey back in June. Like a coyote following the scent of its prey, Glenn and I had now wove our way across the breadth of BC in pursuit of the pipeline route from the Douglas Channel at Kitimat to the Alberta/BC border. With brushes in hand, we lay witness to an astounding array of ecosystems, geology and people all connected by this invisible line that if is allowed to become a pipeline, will change northern BC forever.

Tureen Lake, Northern BC (8x10) oil on panel. Glenn Clark

Once again we reluctantly turn the van around and head south for home. With the number of field sketches now mounting in the studio, its time to start thinking of larger scale pieces and the up coming exhibition but not before our return to the Buckley Valley to experience the fall colours of September.

Fraser Plateau

After leaving the Monkman Park area we back tracked down Highway 97 to Bear Lake. We left the highway and headed into a maze of logging roads criss-crossing the Fraser Plateau back towards the westside of the Rockies. After a few false turns we finally crossed the Parsnip River and started up the Missinka River where the pipeline is proposed to cross over the divide and makes its way down river. After 3 hours of effort with a chainsaw cutting our way through deadfall timber across the road and crossing dubious wash outs we eventually made our way to the headwaters of the Missinka. Up to this point we encountered few painting opportunities due to the overgrown nature of the road so we were very excited when the country finally opened up and were rewarded with a great camp site and amazing alpine views.

Glenn In Action Up On the Deck, Missinka Headwaters (P.Corbett)

After a stormy evening the following day greeted us with sunshine and spectacular morning light. After knocking off a few paintings before breakfast we sat with our coffees and pondered this lovely subalpine pass and the adverse effects the pipeline would have on the area. 

Serrate Ridge, Hart Range (8x10) oil on panel. Glenn Clark

After spending the day painting in the Missinka watershed we travelled back out onto the rolling terrain of the plateau dotted by numerous swamps and wetlands. This country seemed to go on for miles with little geographic relief. With the mountains now long behind us we pointed the van west onwards to Fort St. James and the many beautiful lakes and rivers that awaited us.

Swamp Lands, Fraser Plateau (8x10) oil on panel. P. Corbett.

Heading North

After a great weekend at the ArtsWells Festival we were once again anxious to get on the road and back on the trail of the pipeline. With the van fully stocked with supplies we headed north into the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains where the pipeline is proposed to cross into BC from Alberta and the Tar Sands beyond. Our first destination sent us down the Heritage Highway 52 from Tumbler Ridge. A bit of a misnomer as the highway was really just miles and miles of dirt road. At this point the pipeline route crosses through the rolling terrain of the front ranges of the Rockies. It was good to finally get out of the van after many hard fought miles and start to paint once more.

Rat Lake Basin (8x10) oil on panel, Peter Corbett

From here the plans were to head to Monkman Provincial Park but the logging road we hoped would take us there had been deactivated and was impassable, forcing us to take the long way around back up to Tumbler Ridge and then south again. The pipeline route is proposed to pass just north of Monkman Park, crossing the Murray River and then heading into the Hart Range.

The Hart Range (8x10) oil on panel, Glenn Clark

The route now begins its steep ascent up towards the continental divide crossing through the steep rugged mountainous terrain of the Northern Rockies. This is a very remote and wild part of the country with limited access and were stymied again by numerous deactivated roads and washouts. This would be very challenging terrain to build a pipeline through and even more challenging in the event of an oil spill. After 5 days of painting in the area and exhausting all possible road access options it was time to try to find a way into the west side of the Rockies through a maze of logging roads starting at Bear Lake north of Prince George. The adventure has once again truly begun and we are in our glory.

Up Valley Towards the Divide (8x10) oil on panel, Peter Corbett

Arts Wells

We started the second leg of our journey at Arts Wells, the greatest little art fest going, deep in the heart of the Cariboo Region of central BC. It was an amazing weekend of music, painting, spoken word, theatre and so much more and a chance to hang out with old and new friends alike. The entire town of Wells becomes one large carnival like playground with 9 separate venues and close to 100 different performances spread out over 4 days. There is so much going on that it is difficult to take it all in.

For our part, Glenn and I painted a mural of one of our pipeline scenes from Kitimat on the side of our painting van affectionately know as the Great Grey Whale. The intent of the project was to bring awareness to the proposed pipeline project and to give people the opportunity to sign the van as an expression of their opposition to the pipeline. We completed the painting live on the street and even had the Vancouver based band, Fraser Union, perform a pipeline protest song up on top of the painting platform on the van while we painted. Way too much fun.

The Great Grey Whale with a fresh new paint job and friends. (L to R Glenn, Crystal, Peter and Jade) Photo C. Tremblay.

With over 400 signatures of support for our project on the reverse side of the van we reluctantly headed out of Wells and into the wilderness of Northen BC, back on the pipeline trail. It was going to be hard to fly under the radar now that the van was fully decked out and after the warm and loving reception of Wells we pondered what our fate would be as we headed north into the BC heartland.

Wells from Across the Bog (8x10) oil on panel, P Corbett

Kispiox and the Native Experience

We arrived in Kispiox at the totem pole site down by the confluence of the mighty rivers. We only just began to get set up when we were greeted by a group of locals natives. Word spread quickly and shortly we were joined by a collection of native carvers and painters.  Conversations began slowly and with some trepidation on their part but in due time we all realized we shared a common plight; our opposition to the pipeline. The locals all agreed that once again the Canadian Government was not listening to them and that this development was going to be forced upon them with dire consequences to their way of life.

Peter Corbett, Kispiox Totem Poles (8x10) oil on panel

After our warm welcome in Kispiox we headed towards the Morice River, a watershed in which the pipeline will parallel for many kilometres with numerous stream and river crossing proposed. These waters hold a special place in my heart as this is where I caught my first steelhead on a fly many years ago, a memorable experience for any fly fishermen. After many miles of dodging loaded logging trucks we eventually made it back to the headwaters of the Morice, where the pipeline would enter the steep and rugged wilderness of the Coast Mountain Range. Once again, we were struck with the shear magnitude of this project and the vast area of wilderness and wild rivers it would potentially impact.

Peter Corbett, Morice River Valley (8x10) oil on panel

After numerous days of painting in the Morice River watershed we headed to Burn Lake where the pipeline has been proposed to cross the highway and head across the Fraser Plateau then on towards the northern Rockies. Once again, everyone we spoke to was in opposition to this project. Most notable was the opposition from the local mountain biking community that have spent thousands of dollars and volunteer hours developing a world class riding area on Boer Mountain. The proposed pipeline would bisect right through their trail network. From the top of Boer Mountain, we could see for miles, looking at the expanse of lakes and swamps the pipeline would have to navigate through.

Peter Corbett, Burns Lake from Boer Mnt. (8x10) oil on panel

At this point we have been on the road for 3 weeks and have completed over 90 paintings between us. A certain amount of satisfaction and fatigue is beginning to set in and we agree it is time to head for home for a much needed break and get ready for our second leg of our journey to the Northern Rockies.

We have just returned from our first leg of our journey in support of the Abandoning Paradise Painting Project. Following the route of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline, our intent is to share the beauty of the landscape and to highlight the ecological risks of the proposed pipeline development.

Our first field trip started on the west coast of British Columbia, exploring the Douglas Channel and Kitimat River watershed, painting the landscape associated with the proposed pipeline route. This took us deep up into the headwaters of the Kitimat River, encountering grizzly bears, glaciated mountain scapes, and wild rivers and streams of the Great Bear Rain Forest.

Glenn Clark. Upper Kitimat River (8x10) oil on panel.

Along the lower Kitimat River we encountered an extensive riparian ecosystem with many low lying swamps, transected by the mighty Kitimat River that all 5 salmon species and steelhead trout utilize for spawning and juvenile rearing. The Kitimat River is considered one of the most productive salmon rivers in the world, providing an essential commercial, recreational and native fishery. An oil spill from the pipeline would significantly threaten these stocks.

Peter Corbett. Beaver Swamp, Lower Kitimat River (8x10) oil on panel

After 5 days of painting in the Kitimat River watershed, our journey continued along the Skeena River to the native village of Kispiox surrounded by totem poles and a culture intrinsically tied to the salmon and wildlife of the region.