Provenance

Wynick/Tuck Gallery, Toronto

Private collection, Ontario

Doris McCarthy was best known for her bold and imaginative depictions of the Arctic landscapes. After decades of painting across Canada and abroad, she made her first trip to the Arctic in 1972. Overwhelmed by the beauty and scale of the northern environment, McCarthy became fascinated by icebergs, which she described as “ice form fantasies.” She returned to the Arctic many times, painting in extreme conditions, capturing the surreal, sculptural presence of icebergs in small oil sketches some of which were painted into larger studio works.

McCarthy’s Iceberg Fantasy paintings—roughly 60 in total—represent a personal and meditative response to the Arctic landscape. These works evolved from simplified forms to fully realized three-dimensional compositions that balance abstraction and realism. In paintings such as Iceberg Fantasy, completed in 1991, McCarthy uses a bold, luminous palette to transform icebergs into monumental yet ethereal structures. Her approach invites viewers into a dreamlike Arctic, emphasizing not just its physical grandeur but its emotional and imaginative resonance.