In the summer of 2007 my friend Blane Hagedorn offered to take me on the trip of a lifetime. In his beautiful 55-foot yacht “Indecision” we motored up to the waters around Bella Bella for a one-week fishing trip. Along with two of Blane’s friends, Ted Wiley and Keith Sheardown, we explored the waters of Rivers Inlet and most every bit of the ocean between Namu, Ocean Falls, Bella Bella and Shearwater. I’d worked up there as an RCMP officer from 1979 to 1981 so the area was familiar to me. It really was a special time to be back in those familiar waters.
One day towards the end of our trip we were poking around the outside waters in the Hakai Pass Recreational Area. A part of that area is the “Goose Group” of islands. As we motored slowly around through each channel and small pass, every few seconds we were gifted with yet another stunning west coast vista. Blane and I spotted this rock simultaneously. It was unique in its shape and very presence. The singular, defiant tree on top completed the composition. Even then I knew it had to be a painting, but it’s taken all of this time to make it happen.
In the spring of 2018 Blane brought me a photograph of that rock. I recognized it right away. “Eddie, that’s got to be a painting.” He offered. And I agreed. It was some 3 weeks later when the painting was completed. Unusual for me, the painting was done on canvas. Over all these years of painting, I’ve done very few on canvas. I usually paint on very heavy watercolour paper.
If the viewer is familiar with the Hakai Pass, Goose Group area, you should be able to find this actual, unique rock the next time you’re meandering around up there. To help place it, that’s Spider Island in the background. But, I doubt many of you will ever be that fortunate, so, you’ll just have to take my word for it. The Goose Group is one stunningly beautiful place on the west coast of British Columbia and even today that unique rock, and probably that same solitary tree, are there waiting patiently for you to find them.
