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Maurice Hall Haycock was born in Canada in the Victorian era, before cars, phones, radios and air travel. He went on to learn to use a computer at 80 and predicted the coming of the internet. He lived in the Arctic in 1926-27, painted at the North Pole, discovered a mineral which was named “haycockite” after him, was a worldwide recognized geologist and Canada’s most traveled Arctic artist. For almost 40 years he traveled and painted across Canada’s northern wilderness.

In 2007 his manuscript will be released as a lavish book of Arctic paintings and drawings interspersed with historical notes and fascinating personal adventures.

Book: On site with Maurice Haycock, Artist of the Arctic

Map of Maurice Haycock's painting locations

Arctic Artist Maurice Haycock (1900 – 1988) painted Canada’s north, the land he loved for almost 40 years, between 1949 and 1987. He traveled to remote places and painted country never before or since painted, including the North Pole. Many of his paintings are in private, corporate and public collections with connections to the North. His work is recognized in the South as well, in collections, public and commercial galleries and sold at fine art auctions. “The beauty and authentic character of his painting reflects his interest in capturing the immense natural variety and history of our land in a scientifically realistic yet personally interpreted way”
-Massey Medal Citation, 1980

Maurice Haycock first visited the Arctic on a year-long government survey assignment in 1926-27. His diary of A Year in the Arctic is being prepared for publication. This personal account is rich with a young man’s discoveries in a new and formidable land. He paints a picture of the traditional Inuit way of life in the early twentieth century in words and photographs. Haycock was inspired to paint by the Arctic landscapes and a chance meeting with A.Y. Jackson of the Group of Seven, and Sir Frederick Banting who were painting on the ship Beothic returning south in 1927. This meeting lead to a lifelong friendship with Jackson and 30 years of painting trips together across Canada’s north.

Maurice Haycock1927

From St. Helena Island in Jones Sound, 1965
oil on board 11” x 14”

Maurice Haycock’s paintings of Arctic historic sites are a unique, authentic and artistically beautiful record of some of the most significant places in Canadian history and prehistory. Archeological sites and signs of exploration and travel are well preserved in the Arctic. Haycock was fascinated with the visible past and how it was shaped by the exposed geology. He became a scholar of early indigenous movement and settlement, Inuit history and European exploration in the Arctic and assembled a fascinating and comprehensive collection of paintings based on his visits to historical sites.

He prepared a manuscript with paintings to illustrate it. The preservation of Canada’s Arctic historic sites was one of his greatest concerns and it is hoped that the publication and distribution of this stunningly beautiful illustrated book will contribute to awareness and protection of our priceless northern history.