Sounding Whale - Labrador Sea 1998 | Oil Tempera on Panel

About the Artwork

Sounding Whale – Labrador Sea is a 27" × 38" oil tempera by David Blackwood (1941–2022) created on wood panel. One of Canada’s most celebrated printmakers and visual storytellers, Blackwood completed this important work in 1998 while living in Port Hope, Ontario. The painting focuses on the instant a whale sounds, with its massive tail flukes lifting from the surface of the Labrador Sea—a moment Blackwood often used to suggest the threshold between visible and unseen worlds.

The composition is tightly structured as luminous spray cascades from the dark mass of the whale’s tail, backlit against churning waters painted in Blackwood’s characteristic blue-blacks and soft greys. A distant iceberg and a two-masted vessel provide scale, underscoring the whale’s size and the expanse of the Labrador Sea where Blackwood’s father once sailed. The work rewards extended viewing, revealing subtle shifts of colour within the spray and hints of movement beneath the surface.

Dimensions and Details

• Title: Sounding Whale – Labrador Sea
• Artist: David Blackwood (1941–2022)
• Year: 1998
• Size (image): 27" × 38" (68.6 × 96.5 cm)
• Medium: Oil tempera on wood panel
• Provenance: Direct from the artist to West End Gallery, 1998
• Condition: Excellent original condition

Exceptional Archival Documentation

This painting is accompanied by a rare, complete archive of artist-issued materials from the original 1998 transaction—a level of documentation seldom preserved intact:

• Original handwritten letter from David Blackwood discussing the work, addressed to Dan Hudon (Director, West End Gallery)
• Two original photographs of the painting, personally annotated by Blackwood
• Original bill of sale from the artist
• Original mailing envelope with the artist’s handwriting

Together, these materials provide an unbroken chain of provenance. This comprehensive documentation offers a high level of confidence suitable for institutional collections, and enhances both the scholarly and collectible value of this offering.

Market Context

In November 2025, a related whale oil tempera by David Blackwood achieved a notable hammer price at Heffel Fine Art Auction House, establishing a new benchmark for his legacy. With the Art Gallery of Ontario’s 2025 retrospective, “David Blackwood: Myth & Legend,” generating renewed institutional interest—and major whale oils rarely appearing on the market—this represents a noteworthy acquisition opportunity.

While each artwork is one of a kind and past performance does not guarantee future results, the importance of mature-period whale works is well recognised within Blackwood’s body of work and the wider Canadian and international art scene.

Acquisition Enquiries

Sounding Whale – Labrador Sea is available exclusively through West End Gallery. To receive the detailed collector’s dossier, including a full condition report, additional photography, and complete archival documentation, please contact us directly.

We are pleased to assist with international shipping arrangements, insurance valuations, and can provide additional photographs or documentation upon request.