THE ARTIST
About Fredrick Lemke
Born in Germany in 1945, Fredrick Lemke’s artistic journey eventually carried him across continents to Canada. In 1978, he and his family immigrated to Manitoba, and just one year later, he moved to the Yukon — a vast northern land of mountains, forests, rivers, wildlife, silence, and breathtaking natural beauty.
For Fredrick, the Yukon was more than a new home. It was the landscape his artistic spirit had long been waiting for. Surrounded by the wilderness he deeply admired, he found an endless source of inspiration: quiet valleys, open skies, distant mountains, cabins, wildlife, changing seasons, and untouched places where nature still speaks with calm and power.
Although largely self-taught, apart from an incidental course during his lithographic training, Fredrick developed a distinctive watercolour style shaped by patience, observation, and sincere appreciation for the natural world. His paintings carry a rare sense of peace — the quiet satisfaction of an artist who does not simply paint what he sees, but captures what a place feels like.
Through soft colour, careful detail, and gentle atmosphere, Fredrick strives to portray the beauty and tranquillity of the northern country. Much of the world he paints remains unspoiled, almost untouched by man, and his work invites viewers to pause, breathe, and experience the stillness of the North through his eyes.
Interview with Fredrick Lemke
A rare conversation about beginnings, passion, and beauty of watercolour.
In this exclusive conversation with Donna. Fredrick Lemke opens up about his early beginnings, the moments that shaped him, and the art that continues to define his life.
I was about 12/13 when I started painting. My first painting was an acrylic piece.
"
The North has a way of getting into your soul. It teaches you patience, humility, and how to truly see.
"
When did you first begin painting?
I loved the tiny little pots and water mixture even if the papers were expensive.
For a while I played around with acrylic but came back to watercolour because I loved it and there was a need for it.
It's more difficult than others like oil or acrylic, because you can cover what you don't like but with water colour it's almost impossible to.
What first motivated you to paint?
When did you choose watercolour?
Which painting do you love the most?
I wasn't obsessed with the idea of being a painter. I wanted to earn some money with it.
Whitehorse was good for painting in the late 70's and 80's, but the more I painted, the more I found my passion in painting.
Some I'd never see again because it's being sold.
Each painting carries a piece of time, a moment, a memory - and then it begins it own journey in someone else's home.
ARTIST JOURNEY
From Germany to the Yukon
Germany, 1945
Canada, 1978
Yukon, 1979
Born in Germany in 1945, Fredrick Lemke’s journey began in Europe before carrying him across continents to Canada. His early background and later lithographic training helped shape a careful eye for detail, structure, and composition.
In 1978, Fredrick and his family immigrated to Manitoba, Canada. This move marked the beginning of a new chapter, bringing him closer to the northern landscapes that would later become central to his watercolour art.
One year later, Fredrick moved to the Yukon. Surrounded by mountains, forests, rivers, wildlife, cabins, and vast northern skies, he found the wilderness that would provide him with endless motifs and themes for his paintings.
Fredrick Lemke’s journey from Germany to Canada, and then to the Yukon, shaped the artistic voice seen throughout his watercolours. His work reflects a life drawn toward wilderness, tranquillity, and the unspoiled beauty of the northern country.