Artist needs some help with historical trapper/fishing reference

[Jason Rainville]

A little out of place isn't it? Anyways here's the story:

I'm an artist from Northern Ontario. My dad is very much the outdoors man and loves the history of hunters and trappers. For this Christmas I thought I'd finally create a piece of art for him that he requested/hinted at many times, which is an old trapper (I guess in the pre-industrial era but I haven't settled on anything yet) in a mountain/winter scene.

I've gathered references and done some preliminary work and I think I have the composition hammered out: trapper and dog at the edge of a river set in front of mountains during winter sunrise. The problem is, the trapper on his own just standing there isn't exactly evocative imagery. I'd like for him to be working on some task, but unlike my dad the outdoors/fishing/hunting really isn't my thing and I'm quite ignorant in this area. I'm at a loss for what he could/should be doing. I don't know if a trapper has much need for trapping minnows, or even if it's plausible that it would be on his list of priorities.

So I searched around to try to find an active online fishing/outdoors forum to see if anyone could give me a little help with this. If you have any ideas about what a trapper in the 1800's -> early 20th could be doing riverside during the winter, I'd greatly appreciate any suggestions

Thanks for taking a look.

[Bushmaster]

Down on one knee bedding a trap...??

[Jason Rainville]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Down on one knee bedding a trap...??

I was thinking more along the lines of how he could be interacting with the river/water in the foreground, but that's a good alternative if I get stuck, thanks.

EDIT: just to clarify, I could probably try to fudge things, just have him pulling a rope from the water for an underwater trap, have him fiddling with something obscured by snow etc, I just want to make sure it's as accurate as it can plausibly be.

[jesse34567]

you could have him on a overlooking cliff looking down in to a huge river

where he sees the animal he is after in the cage



or you could have him walking in a vast field with an old pump action rifle with an old water canister on his side and him taking aim on a unsuspecting deer

[acedave3]

Have him in front of his cabin carrying a bucket of water ,from the hole in the ice, back to his cozy little cabin. Show a moose rack above the door and snowshoes hanging on the wall. Also show a pile of wood piled and split with smoke coming from the stove pipe. PS I am an artist too and have painting trappers cabins for xmas cards a number of times.