Canadian artist Ross Buckland developed his love of the land while growing up on a farm in Ontario. “I was always looking at the sky or at the colors on the ground,” he says.

He’s still looking at the sky and the ground but now he’s sharing what he sees through his paintings of landscapes, wildlife—and airplanes. “Aviation became a passion for me, and so did drawing,” Buckland says. “For summer vacations we would go to visit our grandparents in Calgary. The airplane flight was the most exciting part of it. I wanted the window seat so I could see what was going on out there.”

While in high school, Buckland earned his private pilot’s license. “I got it before I got my driver’s license,” he says. “And I was teaching flying before I was out of high school.” He went on to get his commercial pilot license, he says, but “the industry tanked; there was no work.” So he continued giving flying lessons, doing so from 1976 to 1980.

Read the full article in the July/August 2023 issue.

Manitoba Memories

Oil
18” by 24”

“With this painting I wanted to evoke the nostalgic feel of enjoying and testing oneself in the wilderness before the luxuries of GPS and turbines. Both pilot and outdoorsman are relying only on maps, compass, and their own abilities.”

The Call of Autumn

Oil
23” by 29”

“This scene is from my imagination, showing a landscape typical of the eastern Canadian Rockies where a bull elk (or Wapiti) announces his prowess, dominance, and good looks to the gathering harem. These beautiful animals are frequently seen wandering the streets in Banff and Canmore.”