Bill Mason
| Bill Mason | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
William Clifford Mason 1929 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | October 29, 1988 Meech Lake, Canada |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Occupation |
Naturalist, author, artist, filmmaker, and conservationist |
| Children | Paul Mason, Becky Mason |
| Awards |
BAFTA Best Specialised Film 1970 The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes 1977 Path of the Paddle: Doubles Basic ; Path of the Paddle: Doubles Whitewater ; Path of the Paddle: Solo Basic ; Path of the Paddle: Solo Whitewater |
Bill Mason was a Canadian naturalist, author, artist, filmmaker, and conservationist, noted primarily for his popular canoeing books, films, and art as well as his documentaries on wolves. Mason was also known for including passages from Christian sermons in his films. He was born in 1929 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and graduated from the University of Manitoba School of Art in 1951. He developed and refined canoeing strokes and river-running techniques, especially for complex whitewater situations. Mason canoed all of his adult life, ranging widely over the wilderness areas of Canada and the United States. Termed a "wilderness artist," Mason left a legacy that includes books, films, and artwork on canoeing and nature. His daughter Becky Mason is a canoeist and artist. His son Paul Mason is also a canoeist and artist. Mason died of cancer in 1988.
In his review of James Raffan's 1996 biography of Mason, Michael Peake refers to Mason as "the patron saint of canoeing." To many Canadian and American Paddlers and Canoeists growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, his series of instructional films were the introduction to technique and the canoeing experience. In many ways, Bill, Joyce, Paul and Becky Mason were the "faces" of Canadian Canoeing in the '70s. Mason's good friend, filmmaker Blake James, also frequently appeared in his films.
Although he used a variety of Chestnut models in his films, including the "Pal", his favourite boat was a red "Fort" Chestnut Prospector, a 16-foot canvas covered wood canoe that he claimed was the most versatile design ever manufactured, in spite of the popularity of more durable and modern construction techniques and materials. After his death, this canoe was donated to the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario, where it is on display. His wife, Joyce, and children, Paul and Becky, frequently travelled with him and contributed to his later books and films, and have continued his life work and environmentalism.
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