"I decided to see if my Canadian landscape, cobbled together from the symbols, images and imaginings of my youth, actually existed. Was this dreamscape mere make-believe? Had Canada become a virtual country, held together only by emotions and abstractions?"Award-winning watercolourist and writer Michael Kluckner brings his perceptive eye and glowing palette to bear on exploring what truly makes up the country we call Canada. He wondered whether the images of Canada he remembered from his youth were still valid, or whether some of our distinctiveness was being lost. As he says, "I felt Canadian because I believed I knew what the country looked like, even if I was somewhat confused about what it stood for." Based on his travels across the length and breadth of the nation, this book lovingly records what he found.Through the colourful pages of his sketchbooks, and the whimsical and incisive word-portraits of the landscapes he visited and the people who live there, Kluckner presents us with an affirming summation of the essence of Canada. From the outports of Newfoundland to the fishing villages of British Columbia, from Prairie grain elevators to the House of Parliament, Kluckner examines the built images that Canadians hold dear.