Jock MacDonald’s “The Black Tusk, Garibaldi Park, B.C” is a powerful iconic painting of an iconic B.C. landform. MacDonald was associated with Canada’s Group of Seven artists. He created linear landscapes using simplified, stylized forms to express the spirit of the scene.

The Black Tusk has significant meaning for our family. It is prominent volcanic peak near Whistler, British Columbia, known for its distinctive black, tusk-like shape. We have hiked to the Tusk many times, and especially enjoy the stunning Garibaldi Lake nearby.

I approached this reproduction as I do most of my paintings created in the studio. I start with envelope lines (in charcoal) rather than grid lines. I find grid lines too static and uninspiring, whereas envelope lines allow me to freely capture the gesture and movement of the subject. I define the major forms in charcoal, then create an underpainting in various tones of one hue (in this case, burnt siena). This is a time honoured technique in oil painting, used by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, and Rembrandt.

A burnt siena underpainting helps me lay in the values (light to dark tones) of the various shapes, while eliminating the white glare from the canvas. The pure white can distort how I perceive other colours in the initial stages of the painting. Burnt siena provides a warm base for greens and blues to follow, creating depth and vibrancy.

Since MacDonald’s painting are quite linear, and it looked like he outlined each form in black, I used the same approach, outlining  the major shapes in black. I then began laying in the other colours with fairly thin paint. I began with the darkest values using my burnt siena layout as a guide. I looked closely at my source image to see how his brushstrokes wrapped around the forms. Areas were worked broadly to avoid getting caught up in details, then I continued to refine hue, value and intensity with thicker paint.   I avoided pure white until the final stage. Some of the burnt siena underpainting was allowed to show though, contributing warmth and depth. 

This painting captures the awe and monumentality of Black Tusk. I hope the viewer feels the overwhelming power of nature that I do when I’m immersed in such spectacular landscapes. 

This artwork is available at Stockhome Design in Vancouver. Please visit to view in person!

Note: Canadian copyright laws permit sales of reproductions following 70 years after the artist’s death.