**Painting Gift Shop: My Collaboration with The Tragically Hip’s Poster Cellar Series**

Every quarter, The Tragically Hip commission a different artist to create a poster for their Strictly Limited Poster Cellar Series. Each poster reimagines a single Hip song through the eyes of a visual artist, an incredible opportunity to translate some of Canada’s most beloved music into visual storytelling.

With 233 songs across 13 studio albums, The Hip’s catalogue offers a deep well of inspiration. Their poetic, often cinematic lyrics make it easy for imagery to take root and grow. For my own collaboration, I chose one of the band’s most iconic track: “Gift Shop.”

Why “Gift Shop”?

The beautiful lull
The dangerous tug
We get to feel small
From high up above…

These evocative lyrics immediately set my imagination in motion. I played the song on repeat in my studio, jotting down every visual that surfaced; symbols of Canadiana, emotional beats, and images echoing the tone of the music.

Colour blocking a painting

Developing the Concept

Once the ideas were on paper, I began shaping them into a cohesive composition. The final concept included:

Canada Geese in flight
A pendulum suspended above a glowing sunset
A sweeping valley and mountain peaks, capturing that “view from the top”
A Canadian couple wearing red toques, hand in hand
A quiet nod to the band’s identity through plaid iconography

With the composition finalized, I transferred the drawing onto canvas, laid in an underpainting, and began colour-blocking. From there, the painting slowly took on depth, texture, and light – layer by layer, until it was ready for varnish.

Behind the scenes: creating a painting for The Tragically Hip – Brandy Saturley Studio

Preparing the Artwork for Print

Once the painting was fully dry, I photographed it in RAW format for the highest colour accuracy and detail. The digital file was then sent to the band’s agency, where they added a subtle yet meaningful detail: The Tragically Hip’s gargoyle logo on the back of the man’s plaid shirt.

The artwork was sent to the printer next, where an edition of 175 limited-edition prints was produced. I travelled to Vancouver to sign and number each one by hand, always a special moment in the lifecycle of any artwork.

Brandy Saturley signing prints at Mitchell Press in Burnaby, Canada

Tragically Hip Poster Cellar: Limited Edition Prints Now Available

I’m thrilled to share that the Gift Shop limited-edition poster is now available through The Tragically Hip’s official website. This series sells out quickly, so if you’re a collector or a fan of the band, now is the time.

Get one while they last!