My wife Joy and I had a unique experience in the summer of 2008. As a retired RCMP member I was invited to be a guest speaker on board the Serenade of the Seas cruise ship. This huge craft, some 13 stories high, is the pride and joy of the Caribbean Cruise Lines fleet and for two weeks Joy and I languished in its inviting luxury. Daily I conducted presentations about various aspects of RCMP history, all while proudly wearing my red serge. With over 6,000 people and some 65 countries from around the world represented on board, it was a gratifying experience to see and feel the universal respect for our Force as I went about my public speaking duties on board for a couple of hours each day.
The cruise route we followed for the next two weeks took us to Alaska and back. While in Alaska we stopped at Glacier Bay and slowly pushed our way into the ice-laden waters. The huge ship would come to within about ¼ of a mile of the face of the Hubbard Glacier and from the bow of the ship, on the various levels; thousands of people bundled warmly would photograph the surreal blue shapes before us. There would be universal gasps and applause as massive chunks of the glacier would moan and crack from the face of the glacier. The sight was indeed both impressive and overwhelming. I took hundreds of photographs in the hopes of finding a painting, all the while knowing full well that I probably wouldn’t. The blues were just not real and the size of the glacier just couldn’t be translated onto paper or canvas. The face of the glacier was perhaps 250 feet tall and not one photograph I took even came close to telling that story. As we motored from that wondrous place I knew I had some great shots, but I also knew I didn’t have a painting.
Joy and I sat at a small restaurant table on one of the top decks as we left the Hubbard Glacier behind us. The sun was warm and the wind was blocked from us. We marveled at what we had just seen and enjoyed our meal as Glacier Bay moved past us. Then, there to the north, I found my painting. I don’t know the name of the glacier, but there it was. The huge blue ice flow shouldering its way between the mountain peaks finally came into perspective. From a distance it told its story. The painting could not be of detail, it had to speak of the entire structure of the glacier. Even then, from miles away, one still has difficulty imagining is size and unrelenting power. As you view my painting of this one giant of Glacier Bay, trust me, it is that big and it is that blue. This painting is merely my meager attempt to tell the story. There’s only one artist who can work in that scale and colour and pull it off, and surely that artist achieved perfection there in GLACIER BAY.
