Carved by the Yukon, 17 x 22", watercolour framed with glass. (SOLD)

Original watercolour painting, 17"h x 22"w, museum quality framed with double archival mats and UV protective glass, sage green wood frame. Collection of the artist. Reproductions available from FineArtAmerica.

This watercolour painting, Carved by the Yukon, depicts the largest island at Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River, Yukon, Canada. Four islands divide the river into five narrow channels of which only the eastern is passable.

During the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush, thousands of prospectors navigated their homemade boats and rafts 1300 kilometres (800 miles) from Bennett Lake to Dawson City. Five Finger Rapids was a major obstacle along the route and more than a few stampeders ended up in the water after choosing the wrong channel.

Karen spent nine weeks and covered 20,000 km touring the Yukon and Northwest Territories with her husband John in their RV in the summer of 2006. She was privileged to visit Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Dawson City and even Inuvik, which is north of the Arctic Circle. They learned soapstone carving from a famous Inuit artist, and did not see darkness for about six weeks.

Karen gathered extensive photo references during this tour of the Territories. Carved by the Yukon was the largest artwork inspired by her trip, and captures the wild magnificence of this remarkable region of Canada.