ARTIST: Shannon Stirnweis (Arizona, New York, New Hampshire, Oregon, 1931 - 2019)
TITLE: Fort 1, Point Levis
YEAR: 1983
MEDIUM: oil on board
CONDITION: Very good. No visible inpaint under UV light.
ART SIZE: 20 x 17 inches / 50 x 43 cm
BOARD SIZE: 23 x 20 inches / 58 x 50 cm
SIGNATURE: lower left
NOTE: This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the Canada 32c Fort Number One stamp issued June 30, 1983. In the 1860s, as tensions grew in Europe, it looked for a time like England would be cut off from her lumber supplies from the Scandinavian countries. This possibility made the great wooded wilderness of Canada an important natural resource to the Mother Country. Meanwhile, on the North American continent, the American Civil War had been raging since 1861. Since England had supported the South in the Civil War, Canadians feared that the north would take revenge on Canada following early defeats in the War. Thus, to safeguard the southern border and protect the vital timber supplies, Britain constructed three forts on the heights above the south shore of the St. Lawrence across from Quebec City. These three forts --- known as Fort Number One, Fort Number Two, and Fort Number Three at Point Levis -- were never given specific names, even though they were each located at a definite site. Fort Number One was erected at Mount Pleasant. Fort Number Two was constructed at Spruce Cliff and Fort Number Three was built at a place called Lemure. Of the three forts, only Fort Number One still stands. Furthermore, none of the forts ever housed a garrison or received armaments ... for in 1871, the British government signed the Treaty of Washington ending the quarrel between the United States and England. Later, during World War I, Fort Number One sheltered both soldiers and munitions en route to the theater of operations in Europe.
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
CATEGORY: old antique vintage painting for auction sale online
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BIOGRAPHY:
Born in Portland, Oregon, Shannon Stirnweis settled in New York City, where he earned a reputation for his illustration work and fine art painting. He studied at the University of Oregon, the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, and with Pruett Carter. He served in the U.S. Army as an illustrator and had special assignments in a variety of places that included the Berlin Wall, the Everglades, Arizona, and Alaska. He was also an illustrator for Sportsman Magazine, and Field and Stream as well as for books, posters, and ads. After serving two years as President of the Society of Illustrators in New York he entered the field of gallery painting. His skills as an illustrator served him well when he focused later on the history of the Old West. He is represented in the permanent collections of the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Historical Museum, U.S. Coast Guard, Leaning Tree, Marriott, Grumbacher, Rumley, C.B.S., Burt Reynolds, California Federal Savings, University of Texas (El Paso), University of Wyoming and the Pippin Museum. He has participated in shows at the Hunterton Art Center, New York Historical Society and the Smithsonian.