Passing Shadow | Etching 52 of 75

About the Artwork

Passing Shadow is a 31.75" × 19.75" etching and aquatint by David Blackwood, created in 1990. The work revisits one of Blackwood’s earliest and most enduring memories from Wesleyville, Newfoundland — the legendary painted door of his neighbour, Ephraim Kelloway. In a 1990 artist statement, Blackwood recalled: “for several summers in the mid-fifties, Ephraim Kelloway painted his barn door — some say fifty times,” layering it in black, yellow, red, blue, silver, and pink until it became “a richly painted and decorated icon.”

This subject first appeared in Ephraim Kelloway’s Door (1981) and returns here transformed through reflection. The weathered door now stands as a monument to perseverance and imagination. Its deep burgundy planks, copper horseshoe, and tarnished hinges record both care and time, while the silhouette across the surface suggests the enduring presence of memory itself. Blackwood’s aquatint technique gives remarkable texture — from the grain of the clapboard siding to the faint gleam of metal hardware. Subtle tones of green and copper echo the decorative details Kelloway once added, while the central shadow invites contemplation: is it the neighbour, the artist, or the passing image of all who move through memory’s threshold?

More than a portrait, Passing Shadow is a meditation on craft, community, and endurance — transforming an ordinary door into an emblem of Newfoundland’s creative spirit and resilience.

Dimensions and Details

• Size: 31.75" × 19.75"
• Medium: Etching and aquatint on paper
• Edition: 52/75
• Display: Professionally framed and ready to hang; signed and numbered by the artist

How to Purchase

If you are interested in acquiring Passing Shadow or learning more about David Blackwood’s work, we welcome your enquiry:

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Shipping and Services

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Archival Note

This work is directly connected to a 1990 letter written by David Blackwood, in which the artist reflected on his neighbours Alphus, Jacob, and Ephraim Kelloway and the many summers Ephraim spent repainting his barn door. That correspondence — held in the West End Gallery archives — records the story of the door’s transformation “some say fifty times” in colour and decoration, inspiring both Ephraim Kelloway’s Door (1981) and Passing Shadow (1990). Together, these prints form a personal narrative cycle that explores memory, craftsmanship, and the quiet perseverance of outport life.