Obituaries

It is with deep sadness that the family of James Michael Girvan, known to his family as Mickey, announce his passing at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 27 August 2025, at the age of 83. Mickey passed peacefully, surrounded by his family and a few close friends.

Born in Cambridge, Ontario, on February 12, 1942, Mickey moved to Toronto in 1961 to attend the Ontario College of Art. In 1974, he made Manitoba his home, finding lifelong inspiration in the rugged beauty of the Whiteshell and Nopiming Provincial Parks.

Profoundly influenced by Ken Danby, Mickey became known for his luminous realist landscape paintings in egg tempera and gouache. His art captured the clarity of light and vivid colours of the Canadian Shield, often described as an instinctive, visceral response to wilderness refined through thoughtful studio work. He once said: “The Whiteshell and Nopiming contain a magical, fragile world… life clings tenaciously to their granite rocks. I try to show that magic in my art so that others may see and experience it.”

Over his career, Mickey lectured widely on egg tempera painting, was commissioned to create works for the Eaton Place permanent collection in 1991–1992, and gained recognition through membership in the Society of Tempera Painters and inclusion in the World Artists Directory. In 2009, he published Afghan Tales, a graphic novel inspired by his nephew’s letters home from the Afghan war.

Mickey was predeceased by his beloved wife, Beatrice (“Polli”) Tuokko, in 2015. He is survived by his sister, Sherryl Walsh; nieces Kelly Walsh, Karen Geoffrey, and Kathy Greenfield; and his nephew, Bud Walsh. He will be deeply missed for his artistic vision, his gentle and generous spirit, and his love of the wilderness that shaped his life and work.

In keeping with his wishes, there will be no local memorial service. His ashes will be spread over his favourite places in the Whiteshell and Nopiming Provincial Parks.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mickey’s memory to the Parkinson’s Society of Canada, the Manitoba Arts Council, or to conservation initiatives protecting the Whiteshell and Nopiming Provincial Parks.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the physicians and staff of the Intensive Care Unit at Grace Hospital for their compassionate care.