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Arts Profile
Carl, the Man
Carl Halchuk:
An Artist Among Us
STORY AND PHOTOS BY SUSAN BOLLA
If I had to use only one word to describe Carl Halchuck, it would be “sincere.” He is sincere in speech, sincere in tone and
sincere in his love of everything that he holds dear. He is a man who feels deeply and speaks softly. I enjoyed every minute
of my time with him.
Carl Nicolas Henry Halchuk was born in Ottawa 71 years ago to pioneering parents of Ukrainian heritage. He was six
or seven when he realized he had a talent for drawing and fondly remembers the large brown paper painting he did in
grade three of Columbus landing in America. Chief among his many lifetime awards and achievements is the work he did
on the Book of Remembrance II when he was just 17 years old and that is still on display in the Peace Tower.
Carl’s interesting and varied career took him from Ottawa to Montreal and back again, when he joined Agriculture
Canada in 1968 after winning an art competition. His talents were evident early on and he fast became Head of Art and
Design, from which he eventually took early retirement. His hope was to finally spend more time doing what he loved most
— painting.
Unfortunately, life has a way of abruptly changing our plans and at about the same time Carl was gearing up for a life
full of family, art and renovations, his beloved wife, Ann, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Treatments proved successful
and, for a time, life went back to normal. Unfortunately, the cancer returned and in January 2007 Ann passed away.
Carl, the artist
Never was the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words” more appropriate than when describing Carl Halchuk’s
work. Each painting — there are more than 40 — has a story to tell. The story usually involves a family outing or vacation,
and such is the case with the painting entitled “Milk Can.” It originated from a much larger project and was captured in an
continues on page 34
Due West Magazine • Page 32 • Summer 2008