Saskatchewan Artist

Courtney Milne

Courtney Milne was born in 1943 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Those familiar with his remarkable achievements as a photographer may be surprised to learn that Milne first pursued several other vocations. He enjoyed his high school studies in drafting and initially planned to pursue a career in architecture, but during his time at the University of Saskatchewan, Milne's interest turned to psychology. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1964, and then his Master of Arts from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles in 1966. He worked in prisons in Saskatchewan and California and later became interested in filmmaking. Milne studied at California's Brooks Institute and the University of Minnesota, where he completed a PhD in Mass Communications, specializing in photojournalism, in the early 1970s.

It was in 1975, while working in Saskatoon as a media executive and coping with depression, stressful work, and a marriage breakdown, that Milne turned to photography. He began teaching photography workshops and leading photo tours. He made many trips to different parts of the world, eventually photographing in 55 countries and on all seven continents. Accompanying Milne on these expeditions was his partner Sherrill Miller, who also collaborated with Milne on several books.

Milne's passion for photography was closely linked to his life philosophies. Milne wrote, “...This, I believe, is my core ideology — to reveal life’s unfolding mystery — not to try to solve it. In so doing, I not only help myself but also others to connect to their joy and passion. I believe that for each of us, the presence of our being is the greatest gift we can give. Truly accepting and loving ourselves has a ripple effect beyond comprehension...”

Milne's produced close to half a million photographs during his prolific career. His photos have been published in several popular books, including The Sacred Earth (1993), Spirit of the Land (1994), Emily Carr Country (2001), and Saskatchewan: The Luminous Landscape (2005). He has also written more than 180 articles for photographic magazines. Milne's multimedia work has been presented internationally on more than 200 occasions, including for UNESCO's World Heritage Committee (1990), Waterscapes International Congress (1991), and the United Nations traveling exhibit “To Care for the Earth” (1992), and at presentations in Brazil, the United States, Japan, and many other countries. In 1997, a collaboration between Milne and flutist Bettine Clemen, “Love Songs From Planet Earth,” was premiered with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, and the following year, another multimedia show, “Visions of a Goddess Concert,” toured across Canada and was presented in California.

Honours that Milne has received include the National Association for Photographic Art's Gold Medal for Distinction in Canadian Photography (1993), a nomination for the 2004 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, and an honorary degree from the University of Regina in 2005.

In 2004, Milne was featured in the television documentary series Landscape as Muse.

Courtney Milne passed away in 2010. “Courtney Milne: The Pool Project,” an exhibition of 40 of Milne's recent photographs, opened at the Mendel Art Gallery in June of 2011.