Myfanwy Spencer Pavelic

Myfanwy Pavelic was born and raised on Vancouver Island. She is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy and a Companion of the Order of Canada. In the autumn of 1990, she was commissioned to paint an official portrait of Pierre Trudeau.

Trudeau came to her house on January 3, 1991, and stayed for two days. Rather than have him pose right away, she let him wander through the house, while she made quick sketches and Karl Spreitz took photos. Over the next three months she created over 40 completed works, with a choice of four or five serious works to be selected from. Although a different portrait from this series was chosen to hang in the House of Commons, Blue Sky was one of Trudeau’s favorites.