In 1981, Ted Harrison retired from teaching to devote himself to painting full time. Glorious, Glorious Dawn was painted the following year, an ambitious and experimental work celebrating the splendour of the Yukon at sunrise. The canvas radiates a sense of joyful artistic freedom. The sky showcases a gradient of soft pinks, punctuated by sharp, fragmented clouds outlined in fluorescent yellow backlight. On the water, the sun’s reflection glows in gentle orange, while indeterminate shapes, perhaps low-lying clouds or drifting ice, echo the drama above.

Against the radiant and expansive backdrop, life moves quietly across the land, with human and animal figures dwarfed by the immensity of the land and sky. Along a white embankment, a family moves steadily forward, leaning into the tailwind that whips their hair ahead of them. A calm, striding dog leads their way, and a small puppy leaps alongside, buoyed by the gusts. Nearby, a mother polar bear and her cub move in the opposite direction, undisturbed by the humans’ presence. Each group inhabits the landscape quietly, conveying a sense of shared awe and reverence for the luminous North.

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