Ephraim Kelloways' Place 52 of 751988

$8,500.00 CAD

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About the Artwork

Ephraim Kelloway's Place (1989) is an etching and aquatint with hand-colouring by David Blackwood (1941–2022), depicting the legendary painted door that became an icon of imagination and perseverance in Wesleyville. The composition presents multiple perspectives simultaneously: the upper portion shows the weathered grey house and outbuildings rising against a luminous sky, while the lower section focuses on the door itself with Ephraim's dark figure standing before it—creating a portrait not just of the door but of the entire "place" that gave the work its name. The door glows with hand-coloured coral-red and pink tones, embellished with hardware details—hinges, a horseshoe, and decorative elements. A picket fence encloses the foreground garden, and a woman's figure appears in the upper left near an outbuilding.

In his 1990 artist statement, Blackwood recalled:

"The brothers Alpheus, Jacob, and Ephraim Kelloway were the next-door neighbours of my childhood. In our community of brightly painted houses the Kelloway 'place' was known for its greyness... However, for several summers in the mid-fifties, Ephraim Kelloway painted his barn door — some say fifty times. The door went through a succession of remarkable changes, painted black, yellow, brown, red, blue, stovepipe silver, and "bedroom" pink. When he had exhausted the effects of individual colours he began to... [embellish] the surface further with a variety of hinges, a horseshoe, a half-model of a boat and cutouts of brightly coloured and lettered tin. The final result was a richly painted and decorated icon."¹

This work captures the door at its most vibrant—before the elements took over. Blackwood continued: "When the painting of the door stopped, the elements took over and continued to rework the surface."¹

The print immortalizes not just the door but the spirit that transformed it: one man's decades-long act of creation and decoration, turning an ordinary barn door into a beacon of colour in a grey landscape. The figure before the door becomes everyman—witness, creator, guardian of memory.

Dimensions and Details

Title: Ephraim Kelloway's Place
Artist: David Blackwood (1941–2022)
Year: 1989
Size: 11" × 14" (27.9 × 35.6 cm)
Medium: Etching and aquatint with hand-colouring on paper
Edition: 52/75
Condition: Pristine. These specific impressions have been stored flat in archival conditions since 1989, never displayed or exposed to ambient light. The hand-coloured reds and pinks retain full saturation with no fading whatsoever.

Related Works

This print is part of a four-work cycle documenting Ephraim Kelloway's door: Ephraim Kelloway's Door (1981 etching), Ephraim Kelloway's Place (1989 etching—this work), Passing Shadow (1990 etching), and a series of oil paintings exhibited at Gallery One, Toronto in October 1990. Together they document the door's transformation across time and the artist's enduring fascination with this neighbourhood monument to creativity.

Acquisition Enquiries

Ephraim Kelloway's Place is offered exclusively through West End Gallery. Serious acquisition enquiries are welcome. We invite you to contact us directly to arrange a private viewing. Layaway options are available upon request. Shipping is quoted based on location; local delivery within Edmonton and surrounding communities is complimentary.

Citations

David Blackwood, artist's statement for Station Art Gallery 20th Anniversary Exhibition, 1990. West End Gallery Archive: David Blackwood Letters and Notes, Page 22.

Accessibility Description

The composition is organized in three distinct planes. The foreground shows a wooden picket fence with vertical slats, rendered in grey aquatint tones. Beyond the fence, in the middle ground, stands a male figure dressed in dark clothing facing a brightly coloured red door. The door is hand-coloured in vivid coral-red and pink tones, with visible decorative hardware: hinges along the left edge, a horseshoe near the top, and what appears to be a crossbar or latch.

The door belongs to a two-storey weathered house rendered in grey aquatint, with horizontal clapboard siding clearly visible. The house rises to the right and behind the door. In the upper left, a small outbuilding or shed is visible, with a female figure standing near its entrance. The sky occupies substantial space in the upper composition, showing sweeping horizontal bands of varying tones—lighter near the horizon, darker above—created through subtle aquatint gradations. Light appears to emanate from behind the house, creating a glow effect.

The overall palette combines hand-coloured warm tones (the striking reds and pinks of the door) with the cool grey-black tones of the aquatint technique used for the architecture, fence, and sky. The red door creates a dramatic focal point against the surrounding greys. The work is signed and dated by the artist in the lower margin. Medium: etching and aquatint with hand-colouring on paper, 11" × 14" (27.9 × 35.6 cm).

Full Provenance

1989: Created by David Blackwood
1989: Edition of 75 published
1989–Present: Private collection; never displayed; stored in archival conditions; offered through West End Gallery, Edmonton

Disclaimer

This description has been prepared by West End Gallery using original documentation and current scholarship. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, minor variations or additional information may emerge through ongoing research. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to contact us to confirm any details critical to their acquisition decision.

Ephraim Kelloways' Place 52 of 75 | 1988 | Etching 52 of 75

About the Artwork

Ephraim Kelloway's Place (1989) is an etching and aquatint with hand-colouring by David Blackwood (1941–2022), depicting the legendary painted door that became an icon of imagination and perseverance in Wesleyville. The composition presents multiple perspectives simultaneously: the upper portion shows the weathered grey house and outbuildings rising against a luminous sky, while the lower section focuses on the door itself with Ephraim's dark figure standing before it—creating a portrait not just of the door but of the entire "place" that gave the work its name. The door glows with hand-coloured coral-red and pink tones, embellished with hardware details—hinges, a horseshoe, and decorative elements. A picket fence encloses the foreground garden, and a woman's figure appears in the upper left near an outbuilding.

In his 1990 artist statement, Blackwood recalled:

"The brothers Alpheus, Jacob, and Ephraim Kelloway were the next-door neighbours of my childhood. In our community of brightly painted houses the Kelloway 'place' was known for its greyness... However, for several summers in the mid-fifties, Ephraim Kelloway painted his barn door — some say fifty times. The door went through a succession of remarkable changes, painted black, yellow, brown, red, blue, stovepipe silver, and "bedroom" pink. When he had exhausted the effects of individual colours he began to... [embellish] the surface further with a variety of hinges, a horseshoe, a half-model of a boat and cutouts of brightly coloured and lettered tin. The final result was a richly painted and decorated icon."¹

This work captures the door at its most vibrant—before the elements took over. Blackwood continued: "When the painting of the door stopped, the elements took over and continued to rework the surface."¹

The print immortalizes not just the door but the spirit that transformed it: one man's decades-long act of creation and decoration, turning an ordinary barn door into a beacon of colour in a grey landscape. The figure before the door becomes everyman—witness, creator, guardian of memory.

Dimensions and Details

Title: Ephraim Kelloway's Place
Artist: David Blackwood (1941–2022)
Year: 1989
Size: 11" × 14" (27.9 × 35.6 cm)
Medium: Etching and aquatint with hand-colouring on paper
Edition: 52/75
Condition: Pristine. These specific impressions have been stored flat in archival conditions since 1989, never displayed or exposed to ambient light. The hand-coloured reds and pinks retain full saturation with no fading whatsoever.

Related Works

This print is part of a four-work cycle documenting Ephraim Kelloway's door: Ephraim Kelloway's Door (1981 etching), Ephraim Kelloway's Place (1989 etching—this work), Passing Shadow (1990 etching), and a series of oil paintings exhibited at Gallery One, Toronto in October 1990. Together they document the door's transformation across time and the artist's enduring fascination with this neighbourhood monument to creativity.

Acquisition Enquiries

Ephraim Kelloway's Place is offered exclusively through West End Gallery. Serious acquisition enquiries are welcome. We invite you to contact us directly to arrange a private viewing. Layaway options are available upon request. Shipping is quoted based on location; local delivery within Edmonton and surrounding communities is complimentary.

Citations

David Blackwood, artist's statement for Station Art Gallery 20th Anniversary Exhibition, 1990. West End Gallery Archive: David Blackwood Letters and Notes, Page 22.

Accessibility Description

The composition is organized in three distinct planes. The foreground shows a wooden picket fence with vertical slats, rendered in grey aquatint tones. Beyond the fence, in the middle ground, stands a male figure dressed in dark clothing facing a brightly coloured red door. The door is hand-coloured in vivid coral-red and pink tones, with visible decorative hardware: hinges along the left edge, a horseshoe near the top, and what appears to be a crossbar or latch.

The door belongs to a two-storey weathered house rendered in grey aquatint, with horizontal clapboard siding clearly visible. The house rises to the right and behind the door. In the upper left, a small outbuilding or shed is visible, with a female figure standing near its entrance. The sky occupies substantial space in the upper composition, showing sweeping horizontal bands of varying tones—lighter near the horizon, darker above—created through subtle aquatint gradations. Light appears to emanate from behind the house, creating a glow effect.

The overall palette combines hand-coloured warm tones (the striking reds and pinks of the door) with the cool grey-black tones of the aquatint technique used for the architecture, fence, and sky. The red door creates a dramatic focal point against the surrounding greys. The work is signed and dated by the artist in the lower margin. Medium: etching and aquatint with hand-colouring on paper, 11" × 14" (27.9 × 35.6 cm).

Full Provenance

1989: Created by David Blackwood
1989: Edition of 75 published
1989–Present: Private collection; never displayed; stored in archival conditions; offered through West End Gallery, Edmonton

Disclaimer

This description has been prepared by West End Gallery using original documentation and current scholarship. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, minor variations or additional information may emerge through ongoing research. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to contact us to confirm any details critical to their acquisition decision.