obituary and press release

Kenneth Lochhead 1926 - 2006

Obituary
– from The Globe and Mail and The Ottawa Citizen

Peacefully, at home, following a lengthy illness with cancer, on Saturday, July 15,2006 at the age of 80 years. He leaves a loving family, wife Joanne (Bryers), former wife Patricia (Poole), children Colin (Svitlana Muchin), Allan (Sonia Dodich), Merrill (Andy Boissineau), Jennifer, Tessa and Pauline, grandchildren Tavis, Stefan, Danika, Ivana, Marina, Neven, Alyssa and Brendan, brother Douglas and a large extended family.

Ken loved to paint, and through painting found his own expression for love, joy, and the celebration of life. He was a dedicated teacher, inspiring two generations of art students at colleges and universities across Canada.Ken was also an avid hockey fan and an enthusiastic supporter of the Ottawa Senators.

Ken was an Officer of the Order of Canada, recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Regina, and a 2006 recipient of the Governor-General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.

Friends may gather for a memorial reception to celebrate Ken's life at Carleton University Art Gallery, St. Patrick's Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive on Thursday, July 27 from 4-7 p.m. As an expression of sympathy memorial contributions to the charity of your choice would be appreciated.


Press Release
Ottawa, ON, July 15, 2006

Kenneth Lochhead, a well-known artist and educator has died in Ottawa at the age of eighty.

Lochhead studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and in 1950 became Director of the University of Saskatchewan School of Art in Regina. In 1955, Lochhead initiated the Emma Lake Professional Artists' Workshops, which attracted artists such as Barnett Newman, Kenneth Noland, Jack Shadbolt and the critic Clement Greenberg. The summer workshops brought about a renaissance in Saskatchewan art and helped propel it onto the international scene. Lochhead also became known as one of the ‘Regina Five’ painters that first exhibited together at the National Gallery in 1961 and who were considered to be at the forefront of modernist art in Canada.

After Regina, Lochhead continued to teach painting and drawing at the University of Manitoba, York University and the University of Ottawa. He retired in 1990 to devote his time to working at his studio in the Gatineau hills. A ‘painter’s painter’, Lochhead’s work is known for its’ compositional finesse and often exuberant use of colour. A retrospective of Lochhead’s work, entitled ‘Garden of Light 1948 to 2002’, was shown last year at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina.

Lochhead was an Officer of the Order of Canada, a recipient of an Honorary Doctors of Laws, University of Regina, and a 2006 recipient of the Governor-General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.

Lochhead leaves his wife Joanne, former wife Patricia, six children and eight grandchildren. He also leaves his brother Douglas Lochhead. A memorial reception will be held at the Carleton University Art Gallery in Ottawa on Thursday, July 27 from 4-7 p.m.


Return to previous page