Hour 4 of Ottawa Now for Mon. February 2nd, 2026

Canadian artist Phil Richards has said he considers portraiture to be “a collaboration between artist and subject.” Perhaps nowhere is that more clear than in a tiny last-minute change in his newly unveiled portrait of former prime minister Stephen Harper. The portrait includes many details and Easter eggs (more on that in a moment) but at the very top of the image is a collection of flags, one from New Brunswick, the ancestral home of Harper’s family. Barely visible (it’s a fraction of an inch across) is a red banner flying from the ship on the flag. Richards painted it flying the...