Peter MacKendrick

1953–2012

Peter MacKendrick (1953–2012) was an artist and community activist from Toronto, Ontario. His artistic practice combined photography, printmaking, and painting to produce panoramic images that capture the passing of time.

In 1977, MacKendrick obtained a BFA from York University before teaching photography at The Banff Centre from 1977 to 1979. Upon returning to Toronto, he began a career in building restoration and rehabilitation, becoming a partner and the President of C3 Polymeric Limited.

As a teenager, MacKendrick took interest in the rock formations found along Highway 41 and 506 in northern Ontario. These geologic structures became the focus of much of his work. After experimenting with texture and colour in large acrylic paintings, he began creating photographic panoramic images that digitally stitched together images of the rock formations. The panoramas began to resemble the fleeting structures of the rock formations as they are seen from car windows speeding by, emphasizing change and the passage of time. Extending his exploration of the panorama, MacKendrick also took images of carefully arranged florals and transformed them into semi-abstract panoramas. Often taking multiple images over the lifespan of a flower, these panoramas similarly documented the passing of time. Overall, his work was concerned with expressing the potential beauty of everyday objects when they are rendered by an artist.

Beyond his artistic practice, MacKendrick was an active community member. He volunteered much of his time to the Wynchwood Barns redevelopment, a project that was focused on turning the Wynchwood Barns property into a park and saving the historic barn structures to house community activities, such as a soup kitchen and artist studios. He was the President of the Taddlewood Heritage Association, a group that was also involved in the preservation of the Wynchwood Barns. Nicknamed Lord of the Rink, MacKendrick also maintained a natural ice rink in the park year after year.