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as a point of religion, as a point of economics, and also as a point of common sense:we should take care of the land, not abuse it.


The willingness of a modern civilized Christian cul-


ture to interpret radah and dominion over as a license to exploit natural resources for profit became painfully clear to Bill. Forever after that, Bill never took cultural assumptions for granted. He challenged conventional wisdom. Bill knew that the way he could best serve the cause


of environmental responsibility was through his art. But, as a commercial artist he could make a living only if he advocated products and activities which he thought were detrimental to the environment and to human health. As a commercial artist, he had to take contracts whereever they came from, or he would starve. He did work for tire companies, trucking com- panies, and logging companies. His very career was a contradiction of all the environmental ideals he stood for.


So Bill became subversive. If his clients only knew!


When you go back and look at his commercial art from those days you can see he is probably the only com- mercial artist who could sell a product,and at the same time teach a lesson in Canadian history and environ- mental ethics.Many of his ads sold the product by asso- ciating it with facts from Canadian history, or with the value of pristine wilderness. His clients had provided Bill with a platform from which he could advocate his vision. Like the best teachers, the main point of his les- son was in the unspoken analysis and reflection. If you look at all his films, this multi-layered agenda of enter- taining and teaching is used in every one.And often,the


most important part of the lesson is the part remaining unexpressed yet perfectly clear. At the same time, Bill’s


clients loved the work he did for them.He became a respected and sought after artistic director for advertising firms. His advertising sold product as well as environmental ethics. Before Bill went on his


extended canoe trips, he would quit his job.To be more accurate, every year he asked for six months off without pay—which was always refused. Then he quit his job. When he came back at freeze-up, they always hired him back.During these trips, Bill shot photographs of his beloved wilderness. He used a sim- ple Rolleiflex camera and he shot 2 1/4”x 2 1/4”slides. He became well known in his native Winnipeg because of his slide shows. He was invited all over the city to show them.It was his way,as an artist,to advocate envi- ronmental responsibility on the premise that, if you show people how beautiful the wilderness is, they will inevitably become responsible environmentalists.


T CANOEROOTS2002


he slide show, The Timeless Wilderness,was what connected Bill to his first film job. In


1956 Chris Chapman (A Place to Stand, Ontario pavil-


opposite page–an example of Bill Mason’s commercial artwork teaching a lesson in Canadian history.


photo this page–Bill was ingenious in setting up remote firing mechanisms. The stick with the string and weight is part of the firing mechanism which he would initiate by pulling a fishing line running under water to his canoe.


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