Passing Shadow | Etching 61 of 75

About the Artwork

Passing Shadow (31.75" × 19.75", 1990) is an etching and aquatint by David Blackwood (1941–2022) that returns to one of his earliest and most enduring memories from Wesleyville, Newfoundland — the legendary painted door of his neighbour, Ephraim Kelloway. The weathered door stands framed by grey clapboard, its deep burgundy planks marked by a copper horseshoe, tarnished hinges, and the silhouette of a figure stretching across its surface. Blackwood's aquatint technique renders remarkable texture, from the grain of the weathered siding to the faint gleam of metal hardware.

The brothers Alpheus, Jacob, and Ephraim Kelloway were Blackwood's next-door neighbours in childhood. In a 1990 artist statement, Blackwood recalled how "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, then embellishing it 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, in the artist's words, "a richly painted and decorated icon."¹ This subject first appeared in Ephraim Kelloway's Door (1981) and returns here seen through reflection and time. The shadow across the surface suggests the enduring presence of memory itself — the neighbour, the artist, or the passing image of all who move through memory's threshold.

Subtle tones of green and copper echo the decorative details Kelloway once added, while light appears to emanate from the lower edge — a signature quality in Blackwood's work where illumination comes from within rather than without. More than a portrait of a door, this print stands as a document of craft, community, and the quiet perseverance of outport life in mid-century Newfoundland.

Dimensions and Details

• Title: Passing Shadow
• Artist: David Blackwood (1941–2022)
• Year: 1990
• Size: 31.75" × 19.75" (80.6 × 50.2 cm)
• Medium: Etching and aquatint on paper
• Edition: 52/75
• Condition: Pristine. This impression has never been displayed and remains in museum-quality condition. Stored in archival darkness since creation, the burgundy and copper tones retain full saturation, the aquatint shows complete tonal gradations, and the paper remains bright white. Colours are noticeably more vibrant than works exposed to ambient light. Professionally framed; signed and numbered by the artist.

Exceptional Archival Documentation

This work is directly connected to a 1990 letter written by David Blackwood, in which the artist reflected on his neighbours Alpheus, 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 rooted in the artist's own childhood in Wesleyville.

Acquisition Enquiries

This pristine etching, Passing Shadow 52 of 75, is a part of the West End Gallery's archival collection. 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.