Bill Mason
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Bill Mason was an award winning author, commercial artist, painter, filmmaker, and environmentalist, noted primarily for his popular canoeing books, films, and artwork. He was born in 1929 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and graduated from the University of Manitoba School of Art in 1951. He developed and refined canoeing strokes and river-running techniques, especially for complex whitewater situations. He canoed all of his adult life, ranging widely over the wilderness areas of Canada and the United States. He produced several classic books, films, and artwork on the subject of canoeing and environmentalism. Mason died of cancer in 1988.
Canoeing
In his review of James Raffan's 1996 biography of Mason, Michael Peake refers to Mason as "the patron saint of canoeing."His favourite boat was a red Chestnut Prospector, a 16 foot canvas covered wood canoe that he claimed was the most versatile design ever manufactured, in spite of the popularity of more durable and modern construction techniques and materials. After his death, this canoe was donated to the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario, where it is on display. His wife, Joyce, and children, Paul and Becky, frequently travelled with him and contributed to his later books and films, and have continued his business and environmentalism.
Honours
Mason won several honours, including being featured on a Canadian postage stamp in 1998. After his death, a warden at Nahanni National Park Reserve informally started calling the dramatic rock spire, in the midst of Virginia Falls, "Mason's Rock". This usage appears to have become widespread, although it has not yet been made official.Works by Bill Mason
Books
- Path of the Paddle ISBN 155209328X - on the technique of Canadian style canoeing
- Song of the Paddle ISBN 1552090892 - on wilderness canoe travel
- Canoescapes - a compilation of text and his paintings
Films
- The Voyageurs (1964)
- Paddle to the Sea (1966) - nominated for Best Short Film, Academy Awards 1968
- The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes (1968)
- Blake (1969) - on the passion of flying, nominated Best Live Action Short Film, Academy Awards 1970
- Death of a Legend (1971) - a documentary on the threats to wolves
- Cry of the Wild (1972) - a film on timber and arctic wolves
- Goldwood (1974)
- In Search of the Bowhead Whale (1974) - adventure film of a whaling expedition
- Wolf Pack (1974)
- Face of the Earth (1975)
- Path of the Paddle (1977) - a series of films on the techniques of canoeing
- Song of the Paddle (1978) - a film of one of Bill Mason's family wilderness canoeing trips
- Coming Back Alive (1980) - an instructional film on recreational boating safety
- Pukaskwa National Park (1983)
- The Land that Devours Ships (1984)
- Waterwalker (1984) - a feature-length film of Bill Mason's journey on Lake Superior
References
- Buck, K. 2005. Bill Mason: Wilderness Artist From Heart to Hand. Rocky Mountain Books. ISBN 1894765605
- Mason, P. The Thrill of the Paddle ISBN 1552094510
- Raffan, J. 1996. Fire in the Bones, Bill Mason and the Canadian Canoeing Tradition. Toronto: Harper Collins
External links
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