June Burstrom-Haring’s oil paintings depict the rugged, challenging and deeply fulfilling lives of park wardens, a subject with which she is intimately familiar.

The Jasper-born artist’s father and grandfather were both park wardens and her brother currently serves as a warden in Banff National Park.

Many of her paintings depict the way of life that accompanies the duties of patrolling, protecting and surviving in the backcountry – a way of life that she is sad to see disappearing.

“The government is shrinking the park wardens service,” Burstrom-Haring said. “There’s not as much funding.”

One of her main goals in her art is to tell the stories of wardens’ lives. Her paintings typically involve images of beautiful mountain scenery, but these serve merely as a backdrop and provide an attractive framework within which a visual narrative emerges.

The stories she tells often come from real-life experiences of her family members. She works from old family photographs to create many of her paintings. She also seeks out photographs of backcountry life from others to use in her art.

Another source of inspiration for her paintings is her husband, an RCMP officer who has faced numerous challenges as part of his job, including frequent relocation of the family and having friends and colleagues killed in the line of duty.

A pair of symbol-laden pieces depicting the Mounties’ familiar red serge is on display as part of Burstrom-Haring’s current exhibit at the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum.

The exhibit opened on Jan. 6 and runs until Feb. 5.

For more on Burstrom-Haring’s art, visit www.mountainlegacies.blogspot.com.