Two Indians in Canoe - 1899
Watercolour over graphite on wove paper
27.5 x 53.3 cm
National Gallery of Canada (no. 16832)
Paddle Closeup
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Historic Paddle Illustration - More Frederick Verner
Here's another painting by Frederick A Verner (1836 – 1928), a painter who's work has previously shown some sort of paddle decoration in his native art scenes. This piece entitled "Two Indians in Canoe" shows the bow paddler with a red chevron themed paddle decoration.
Two Indians in Canoe - 1899
Watercolour over graphite on wove paper
27.5 x 53.3 cm
National Gallery of Canada (no. 16832)
Paddle Closeup
Two Indians in Canoe - 1899
Watercolour over graphite on wove paper
27.5 x 53.3 cm
National Gallery of Canada (no. 16832)
Paddle Closeup
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Friday, September 24, 2010
Sevareid's & Port's Canoe & Paddles
Just re-read the paddling classic, Canoeing With the Cree documenting the momentous trip of Eric Sevareid and Walter Port as they traveled from their home in Minnesota to York Factory on the shores of Hudson's Bay. The book is not just any travel journal however, it is a fascinating historical glimpse of simpler time and ...
Book Covers
The read got me curious about the gear these 2 teens used on their trip. A passage I found which describes the purchase of their canoe states:
Sevareid and Port launching
Further mention of their paddles is found in the equipment list that Sevareid prepares for the book. It includes mention of "three, five foot, copper-tipped paddles". I guess copper tipped paddles were the rage back then and considered necessary for expedition purposes. What caught my eye was the paddle length chosen for both boys (5ft) despite the dramatic height difference between the friends. Here's another photo from an archived article on the trip
Eric Sevareid and Walter Port at the start
of their canoe trip to Hudson's Bay
Date: 6/1930
The paddle just reaches Port's chin which is the paddle length dimension I've found comfortable to use, but look at the paddle dwarfed by Sevareid's tall frame. He makes it look like a child's toy! I wonder how it could have been comfortable for him to use?
At any rate, the book mentions how the canoe and gear were left behind at York Factory so it is likely these have been reclaimed by the ravages of time.
Book Covers
The read got me curious about the gear these 2 teens used on their trip. A passage I found which describes the purchase of their canoe states:
"Our canoe was 18 feet long, an American made cruiser model, with a wide beam and a small keel...The Sans Souci, we chistened her. That was Walt's idea. It means "without care." We painted on her, "Minneapolis to Hudson Bay." In order to beat other buyers for the canoe, which was secondhand and on which the middle thwart was missing, we had to skip some of our final examinations."This matches the classic photo below of the pair about to launch their canoe at the start of their journey. Sure enough the middle thwart is missing (which would mean a two person carry of the canoe at each portage) only to be replaced with a massive load of packs.
Sevareid and Port launching
Further mention of their paddles is found in the equipment list that Sevareid prepares for the book. It includes mention of "three, five foot, copper-tipped paddles". I guess copper tipped paddles were the rage back then and considered necessary for expedition purposes. What caught my eye was the paddle length chosen for both boys (5ft) despite the dramatic height difference between the friends. Here's another photo from an archived article on the trip
Eric Sevareid and Walter Port at the start
of their canoe trip to Hudson's Bay
Date: 6/1930
The paddle just reaches Port's chin which is the paddle length dimension I've found comfortable to use, but look at the paddle dwarfed by Sevareid's tall frame. He makes it look like a child's toy! I wonder how it could have been comfortable for him to use?
At any rate, the book mentions how the canoe and gear were left behind at York Factory so it is likely these have been reclaimed by the ravages of time.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Reshaped Birch Cree - Part 2
Reshaping and sanding of the birch Cree paddle modeled after one in the Canadian Museum of Civilization collection was completed over the summer.
Reshaped Birch Cree
Now it was time to decide on the decoration. According to various readings and museum searches, many Cree paddles were decorated in a simple manner, typically painted with boldly contrasting colours and often with stripes or other banding decorations. In particular, Garth Taylor's 1980 book Canoe construction in a Cree cultural tradition documents the building of a traditional Eastern Cree canoe made using canvas as a substitute for birch bark and has a nice illustration of various decorated Cree paddles.
Decorated Cree Paddles
A while back I had also come across a post (now deleted) on the FrontierFolk.net Forums, debating types of sealants on historic paddles. One poster put up the following pics of a canoe displayed in a store with a painted Cree paddle decorated decorated with white dots.
Another decorated Cree paddle
In my case, I kept the decoration extremely simple and in this same style. The grip and rounded tip were high heat burned to resemble the decoration of paddle D in Taylor's illustration. A few thick horizontal lines and bars with circular dots and the burning was complete. Certainly more simple than the complex patterns of Wabanaki paddles, but I find it very fitting for these unusual paddle shapes.
Completed Paddle
Blade Closeup
Given the limitations of the original paddle blank picked up at a roadside sale, the blade isn't proportional to the elongated dimensions of the blades outlined in Taylor's book. Still, for 5 dollars, this discarded blank turned out to be a great little paddle.
Reshaped Birch Cree
Now it was time to decide on the decoration. According to various readings and museum searches, many Cree paddles were decorated in a simple manner, typically painted with boldly contrasting colours and often with stripes or other banding decorations. In particular, Garth Taylor's 1980 book Canoe construction in a Cree cultural tradition documents the building of a traditional Eastern Cree canoe made using canvas as a substitute for birch bark and has a nice illustration of various decorated Cree paddles.
Decorated Cree Paddles
A while back I had also come across a post (now deleted) on the FrontierFolk.net Forums, debating types of sealants on historic paddles. One poster put up the following pics of a canoe displayed in a store with a painted Cree paddle decorated decorated with white dots.
Another decorated Cree paddle
In my case, I kept the decoration extremely simple and in this same style. The grip and rounded tip were high heat burned to resemble the decoration of paddle D in Taylor's illustration. A few thick horizontal lines and bars with circular dots and the burning was complete. Certainly more simple than the complex patterns of Wabanaki paddles, but I find it very fitting for these unusual paddle shapes.
Completed Paddle
Blade Closeup
Given the limitations of the original paddle blank picked up at a roadside sale, the blade isn't proportional to the elongated dimensions of the blades outlined in Taylor's book. Still, for 5 dollars, this discarded blank turned out to be a great little paddle.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Luc Poitras' Malecite Paddles
Blog reader Luc Poitras was kind enough to send me some pics of his 3 beautiful Malecite style paddles, complete with incising decorations and carved drip rings.
Luc's 3 Paddles
The short paddle on the left and the one on the right are made from maple. The long paddle in the middle is made from stained cedar. Here are some closeups of the blades and grips. Definitely motivating to try some incising work on some of my future paddles.
Incised Blade details; Grip shapes
Luc also sent a photo of his 3 crooked knives which are works of art themselves. One knife is made from an old straight razor blade and the other two made from files. The bulk of the paddles were carved with these knives and a small spokeshave. Fantastic work Luc!
3 Crooked Knives
Luc's 3 Paddles
The short paddle on the left and the one on the right are made from maple. The long paddle in the middle is made from stained cedar. Here are some closeups of the blades and grips. Definitely motivating to try some incising work on some of my future paddles.
Incised Blade details; Grip shapes
Luc also sent a photo of his 3 crooked knives which are works of art themselves. One knife is made from an old straight razor blade and the other two made from files. The bulk of the paddles were carved with these knives and a small spokeshave. Fantastic work Luc!
3 Crooked Knives
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
New Maple Maliseet from Rick Nash
Master Paddle Artisan Rick Nash of Woodland Heirlooms has posted some some pics of a gorgeous new Maliseet style paddle. A while back, Rick sent me a photo of a maple paddle just taking shape in his workshop.
Paddle being shaped with an axe
Here are some shots of his finished work...
Maple Maliseet Class Paddle
Full Size: 66" in length
Blade Width: 5 7/8"
Incising done using nail and jack-knife
The etched patterns on the blade are similar to the circa 1878 York Sunbury Museum paddle (also made from maple) with the grip and black painted shaft resembling one of the paddles from the collection at the New Brunswick Museum.
c. 1878 Maliseet Paddle; c. 1880 Maliseet
I've posted some of Rick's works before documenting his amazing skill as a birchbark canoe builder and paddle maker. If you haven't seen these pics yet, be sure to check out his full sized Cherry Maliseet Paddle HERE as well as THIS POST. After seeing his magnificent, historically accurate work, Rick is my personal paddle making hero.
Paddle being shaped with an axe
Here are some shots of his finished work...
Maple Maliseet Class Paddle
Full Size: 66" in length
Blade Width: 5 7/8"
Incising done using nail and jack-knife
The etched patterns on the blade are similar to the circa 1878 York Sunbury Museum paddle (also made from maple) with the grip and black painted shaft resembling one of the paddles from the collection at the New Brunswick Museum.
c. 1878 Maliseet Paddle; c. 1880 Maliseet
I've posted some of Rick's works before documenting his amazing skill as a birchbark canoe builder and paddle maker. If you haven't seen these pics yet, be sure to check out his full sized Cherry Maliseet Paddle HERE as well as THIS POST. After seeing his magnificent, historically accurate work, Rick is my personal paddle making hero.
