The Old Man goes to Fogo Island, an homage to Ernest Hemingway

12 x 10", acrylic on cradle aluminium panel

Painting #313, 2026, black wooden floater frame

-SOLD

In early July, while preparing for this two-man exhibition, it dawned on me that I should try to conceive a painting that could create a bridge between Jon Wilkinson's work and mine. Jon Wilkinson (1940-2012) was born in Hamilton, Ontario. After moving to Newfoundland in 1975, his artwork focused primarily on the landscapes and interiors of Newfoundland, specializing in serigraph prints.

July - serigraph print by Jon Wilkinson- 1997

Lighthouse in Twillingate, NL

-personal collection

I read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway back in 1999 and have wanted to paint a piece inspired by this specific book ever since. What was missing was the right narrative, and this joint show finally created that link. For the setting, I used a photograph I took in Joe Batt's Arm on Fogo Island while on vacation in October 2018. This picturesque spot is often featured in publicity shots by Tourism Newfoundland and Labrador to promote the province. If you squint, you might even be able to see the Fogo Island Inn located to the immediate right of the Old Spice bottle.

The original storyline for this maritime drama takes place east of Havana, Cuba. The old fisherman, Santiago, breaks an unlucky 84-day dry spell when he hooks an 18-foot marlin. He battles the fish for three days and three nights, only for it to be devoured by sharks before he can bring it to shore. I thought, why not give Santiago a break and see if he would have better luck fishing further north in the cold waters of the North Atlantic?

I couldn't find any record indicating that Hemingway ever visited Newfoundland, though he did live in Toronto twice during the early 1920s, spending just under a year there working as a journalist for the Toronto Star.

Because the term "Old Man" is often used informally to refer to one's father, this painting carries a parallel narrative dedicated to my own. My father left school after the 8th grade, as the one-room schoolhouse in Cap-Lumière focused entirely on primary education and continuing his studies would have required relocating. Instead, at just 13 years old, he became a fisherman. He eventually owned his own boats, naming one of them "Alvin" after I was born. Before the age of 50, he sold his fishing rig to work for the UMF fishing plant. Being a jack-of-all-trades, he wore many hats over the years. At times, he bought lobster at the wharf and tended the live lobster tank house. Later, he shifted to building maintenance, worked in the garage servicing transport trucks, and did vehicle bodywork. Like many New Brunswickers of his generation, he also ventured out to Labrador during the 1950s, where workers were heavily employed by defense contractors like the Fraser Brace Construction Co. to build early-warning radar installations like the station at Cartwright.

I vividly recall seeing a bottle of Old Spice aftershave underneath the Christmas tree, a recurring gift to my father from my mom. Once, the Old Spice even came in a clear bottle with a Fresh-Lime scent. The iconic white bottle, adorned with its trademark sailing ship, felt like the perfect anchor for this piece.

Old Spice 1972 commercial

Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea in 1952, and it became the key work cited when he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. The Scribner paperback edition featured in the painting was printed in 1968, with cover artwork by Victor Mays Jr. (1927-2015). Mays was a highly regarded American illustrator and fine artist renowned for his historically accurate maritime paintings. He illustrated more than 80 books, alongside dozens of magazine covers and commercial book jackets, before pivoting entirely to fine art in 1977.

Family visit at the Hemingway Home in Key West.

 Home to nealy 60 six-toed cats.

This painting is currently on view in a two-person show with Jon Wilkinson at the Fog Forest Gallery, entitled:

"Still Lives, Silent Places"

October 16 – November 6, 2026 

• Opening Reception: Friday, October 23, 2026, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
• Gallery Hours: Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or by appointment.

-SOLD
Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street, Sackville, NB, Canada
(506) 536-9000
fogforestgallery.ca