To begin our celebration of Canada 150, the Saskatchewan Craft Council presents Procession West, an exploration of Western Canadian landscapes captured on film by photographers Robert S. Michiel (Vernon, BC) and Robert S. Pohl (Edmonton, AB).

Both artists have invested more than a decade documenting their attachment to the Canadian landscape. Michiel and Pohl shoot traditionally, with large format film cameras, transporting heavy equipment into the field and processing and printing the resulting images themselves. Many of their photographs are captured by cameras first developed during the mid-1800s, the type which require a cloth placed over the photographer’s head. Their disciplined approach to traditional photography produces sharp, atmospheric depictions of the Canadian landscape.

The images take the viewer on a visual journey across the Western Provinces. Beginning on the Great Plains, we see large skies and distant horizons. Moving towards the Badlands, Michiel and Pohl’s black and white photographs feature harsh light and an eroding landscape. The visual journey across the Western Provinces continues through the parklands, foothills, majestic mountains, and the ruggedness of the Pacific coast.

Procession West consists of 40 framed works.