N.B. artist’s ‘Destination Art’ is spreading smiles across the country

A graphic artist from Salisbury, N.B. is making a name for himself right across the country by bringing new life to famous Canadian landmarks.

Eric Goggin’s “Destination Art” posters are popular with tourists and locals alike, and sales are quickly expanding right across the country.

His goal was to tug at the heartstrings of Canadians.

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Working away at his computer at his sign shop in Salibury six months ago, Goggin developed a very grand idea.

“We want to touch the hearts of as many people as we can,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We want to touch the hearts of as many people as we can," he said.

Starting with his Maritime homeland, Goggin started using bold graphics and colours to recreate posters of iconic Canadian destinations.

“It is Canadiana Art,” he said.

He says he has to make sure that each piece is authentic—right down to the placement of the rocks and trees.

“We are not going to fool people that love that place, that travel there or live there.  They have to instantly connect with the image,” he said.

That means he has to do his homework. He combs through video and pictures of the places he’s trying to depict to make sure that each one carries at least one iconic image that resonates with people’s hearts, and most importantly conjures up a happy memory.

“I just did a piece recently for the Halifax Public Gardens. Well, I used the famous iron gate going in there,” he said.

His goal is to keep the images simple with a real a vintage feel.

“I want to depict similar to the 1940s Canadian Pacific Railways travel art,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I want to depict similar to the 1940s Canadian Pacific Railways travel art," he said.

His original works all portrayed hot spots in the Maritimes, but with the help of his business partner and printer Bernie Michaud, their business has gone national.

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“I had a gut feeling that it would take off but not as fast as it did. I really figured that it would take a lot more marketing to do so,” said Michaud.

Turns out, the art is practically selling itself.

“We have over 100 pieces now in our portfolio, so it is getting very large,” said Goggin.

He says he is now working on new pieces that will broaden their reach across Canada and Michaud says they eventually want to expand into the United States.