Czech Republic "Not Primitive"

I spent the summer of 2007 in the town of Horice, Czech Republic at their annual international sculpture symposium. The piece I created, a 12 ton sandstone sculpture, refers to a west coast First Nations rattle which now resides in the UBC Museum.

Vietnam

I have been to Vietnam twice now, in 2003 and again in 2005. Both were incredible opportunities to work with very large, beautiful pieces of marble.

So there I was, in the middle of a river city on the Mekong Delta, just a few miles away from the Cambodian border. Chau Doc, a city of 60 thousand, seems at first glance an unlikely setting for such a large symposium. But there it was, host to 36 international sculptors from 12 countries in 2003, and host to 60 sculptors from over 20 countries in 2005, 30 of whom I had the privilege of inviting.

We spent 40 days in this river city, a Vietnamese Venice with canals and river ways acting as the main mode of transportation. Houses supported by rickety stilts perch over the water, streets are narrow, crowded and filled with bicycles and oxen drawn carts. The weather is hot and humid.

The opening and closing ceremonies were spectacular and the symposium began with a blessing from the local Buddhist temple.

My first creation there, entitled "Water" (above right) is a 17 ton marble piece. My second creation was a 'sculpture adventure' and consists of a 32 ton balance piece entitled "Your Thoughts Can Set You Free". (above left, above center)

China

In the spring of 2003 I was invited by the Chinese Government as the Canadian delegate for the first Sculpture Conference held outside North America. I was asked to bring along a delegation of 5 other Canadian sculptors, who accompanied me to this incredible event, attended by over 400 people, representing about 150 countries.

This was also an opportunity to exhibit some of my work, including Poetry of Exchange, which was purchased by the Government of China, as well as two other pieces of mine entitled "Flight" and "Dancer".

Costa Rica

In April of 2006 I was chosen by the City of Puntarenas in Costa Rica to participate in their first Central American Stone Carving Symposium. I completed a sculpture entitled "Vientos Del Sur" (South Wind) in less than two weeks. Time was short, making for long days, however working right on the beach made up for it. The sun was very hot, but jumping into the ocean for an afternoon swim cooled me off just enough to keep working. The community was very welcoming and every afternoon the ladies from the local garden club brought us fresh fruit.

OTISS

The Okanagan Thompson International Sculpture Symposium left 22 monumental pieces of sculpture in 8 communities. As the founder of this symposium I worked with a team of incredibly dedicated people to raise over 1.8 million dollars and organize multiple communities matched with international sculptors.

Looking back, this project took close to 3 years of my life. But it was well worth it and provided an opportunity for sculpture to truly make its mark in so many communities. Providing the opportunity for the general public to watch the creation of large marble pieces brings art to the forefront and makes it accessible to everyone.

But it wasn't all organizing for me. I did get to have some fun with a big piece of marble as well. My contribution "Children of Peace" is situated in the heart of my community of Westbank.

Sculpture on Main

After organizing the Okanagan Thompson International Sculpture Symposium (OTISS), the members of the Arts and Business Council and I still had the 'symposium bug' and we created two smaller events in the community of Westbank, which we called "Sculpture on Main". The first year we had 6 sculptors visit our community and the second year 5 sculptors. Again they left behind pieces of public art to be enjoyed for a long time to come.

My contributions to these two events were "Ganesh" (above) and "Juggernaught".

City of Kelowna

In the fall of 2002 I was commissioned by the City of Kelowna along with the Bank of Montreal and created a bronze piece called "Dancing Pedestrians". It consists of two abstract figures, a child and an adult, playfully dancing in front of the bank, located on Bernard Avenue in downtown Kelowna. This area is frequently visited by tourists and the Dancing Pedestrians have become a very interactive piece of art. The smaller of the two figures has been seen sporting a baseball cap, and recently a t-shirt. I am always pleased when I see people's reactions to my work, especially when it is playful interaction, making public art truly 'public'.

Town of Okotoks

August of 2005 took me to the small town of Okotoks, just south of Calgary, Alberta. This time I was given 3 weeks to produce a sandstone sculpture and "Champing at the Bit" emerged.