Passing Shadow | Etching 52 of 75

About the Artwork

Passing Shadow is a masterful 31.75" x 19.75" aquatint by David Blackwood, created in 1990. This haunting work revisits one of the artist’s most powerful childhood memories from Wesleyville, Newfoundland — the legendary painted door of his neighbour, Ephraim Kelloway. As Blackwood recalled in a 1990 artist statement, “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 to create what he described as “a richly painted and decorated icon.”

The composition centres on this storied door, rendered in rich burgundy and dark umber tones that hint at the strata of colour buried beneath. Blackwood’s virtuosic aquatint technique brings extraordinary texture to the scene — capturing the weathered grain of the clapboard siding, the latches, hinges, and even a copper horseshoe nailed to the surface. At the centre, a mysterious silhouette looms in shadow. Is it Ephraim? The artist himself? Or memory's fleeting impression — the 'passing shadow' of the title? Subtle accents of copper, green, and cream allude to the embellished tin cutouts Kelloway once affixed to the door. The surrounding grey timbers evoke the tough Atlantic coast: a landscape both preserved and battered by time. This is Blackwood at his finest — transforming humble vernacular architecture into poetic testimony to Newfoundland’s resilience and the layered mysteries of personal memory.

Dimensions and Details

• Size: 31.75" x 19.75"
• Medium: Aquatint
• Edition: 52/75
• Display: This print is professionally framed and ready to hang — a significant work for any serious collection of Canadian maritime art or fine printmaking.

How to Purchase

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