THE GAUTHIER COLLECTION
NOTE: List of those pieces which are part of the Gauthier Collection being gifted to RMC.
1.
"POINTSMAN" 1967. Epoxy, Open Edit, 46 cm high. Unnumbered
copy.
This statuette was the first of my fully three-dimensional works. As
mentioned in the preamble, I had initially carved the Pointsman in Teak wood and
promised to make a freestanding version for the C PRO C School in Camp
Borden. "Pointsman" 1967 was the result. Although details of the uniform,
weapons and accoutrements on this 1967 statuette quickly were overtaken by
frequent changes in those items in the army, the pose of the Pointsman struck a
special chord with members of the Military Police. Some 20 copies have been sold to date and a
copy sold in July 04 for $600. The creative stage for this sculpture required about 80 hours of
labour; copies today require about six hours of labour.
2.
"HELICOPTER PILOT" 1968. Life-size epoxy bust, two copies only. Original,
unnumbered.
While serving in Mobile Command Headquarters, I created this life-size
bust of an Army pilot flying a 'Voyageur" twin-rotor transport helicopter with a
squadron based at St. Hubert airfield. In the early days of Integration, Army
pilots kept their service identity but later, had to chose either to stay in the
Army without flying or to convert to Air Force status. Original copy in my
collection; second copy sold to helicopter pilot, Alex Home. Creative stage for
this sculpture required about 80 hours of labour; the second copy required about thirty hours of
labour since a latex rubber mould was made for the second casting. While I forget the price I
charged at the time, it hardly paid for the casting materials, let alone the amount of labour
involved.
Several clients showed interest in this life-size bust but could not afford the price I would
have had to charge due to its large size.
3.
"HELICOPTER PILOT" 1969. Epoxy, 21 cm high. Original, Copy
#01/50.
In the following year, I re-sculpted the 1968 bust in a smaller version.
Creative stage was about 80 hours of labour; each copy requires about 10 hours
of labour to complete. This version is cast in epoxy and mounted on a wood
base. Six copies were sold in the years that followed. In December 98, a copy
was sold for $750.
4.
"INFANTRYMAN" 1969. Epoxy, Open Edit, 47 cm high. Original, unnumbered.
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-2I was serving in FMCHQ at the time of the creation of the Canadian
Airborne Regiment and was involved, as Staff Officer Personnel Plans, in
the manning of the newly created Regiment. As a sculptor, I decided to
create a statue of an Airborne Infantryman. The model used was an
Airborne MCpl from the (R 22e R) Commando then formed in Valcartier.
The 18" high statue depicted an Airborne Infantryman with FN Cl rifle held
in a relaxed but ready stance with a look of determination. The original
statue is cast in epoxy plastic with aluminum metal powder which gave it a
pewter-like patina; after many years of finishing my sculptures in this
patina, I changed my patina to a bronze-like tint and re-patina'ed this
original to the new bronze-like finish. The creative stage took about 100
hours as it was one of my very early sculptures. Copies today require about
six hours of labour to cast and finish.
In the early years, I did not limit the size of my editions for new works, so the
"INFANTRYMAN", 1969 is considered an open unnumbered Edition. I retained the original
copy and later made a Silicone Rubber Production Mould to cast additional copies. At the
beginning, the Airborne Regiment showed no interest in acquiring a copy of this work, but a
Black Watch officer asked if I could cast a copy and modify the headdress from the beret to a
Balmoral and give the statue "RHC" shoulder titles. He purchased the first production copy in
this version. The Honorary Colonel of the Black Watch, a Colonel Bourne, saw this statue and
ordered a bronze cast as the Regimental Centerpiece of the Black Watch (RHC) Militia
Regiment of Montreal, and another epoxy copy which his Regiment presented to the village of
Saint Andre-Sur-Orne (FRANCE) in reciprocity for the village naming a street after the Black
Watch (RHC). A third 'Balmoral' copy was presented by our Black Watch (RHC) to its affiliated
Scottish "Black Watch" Regiment and is on display in their regimental museum at Balhousie
Castle.
In 1971, the Airborne Regiment presented a copy to the City of Edmonton, Alta to mark
its association with that city. Two years later, the (then) Commander of the Cdn Airborne
Regiment, Colonel Guy Lessard, ordered a bronze copy that he presented to the Regiment on his
departure.
Over time, the "INFANTRYMAN" 1969 statue became the official
farewell/retirement present from FMC officers to retiring Commanders of FMC, and other senior
Army generals (a practice replaced by presenting a less expensive bas-relief in the early 1990s,
but that practice ended a few years later). Over the years, more than 60 copies of this work were
sold: almost all were epoxy casts and hat badges and shoulder titles were modified to represent
the parent regiment of the buyer.
In 1983, an "RCR" version was presented by CO 1RCR to the City of London, Ont. Two
former Chiefs of the Defence Staff and one Vice Chief of the Defence staff were presented
copies. Two Balmoral (RHC) versions were sold as recently as Dec 94 and one epoxy copy with
the hat-badge of the R22eR is in the permanent art collection of the Canadian War Museum. In
July 95, an epoxy copy was sold for $1,092.
5.
"FALLEN SOLDIER" 1969. Epoxy, Limited Edit of 50, 23 cm high. Original, Copy
#01/50.
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-3This statuette is special in that after I was inspired as the image arose in my 'mind's eye', I
immediately started sculpting it in wax on a wire armature without posing a human model. I
wanted to depict the exact moment a soldier was mortally wounded and was falling to the
ground. It occurred to me later that I had subconsciously been inspired years before by a Capa
photo of the Spanish Civil War where he captured a soldier falling backwards and dropping his
rifle. My statuette turned out to be disturbing in a dramatic sense: viewers who have looked at
this sculpture are inevitably troubled by it. The reason, I believe, is that soldiers know they are
in a dangerous profession that does include the possibility of making the ultimate sacrifice but
they tend to convince themselves that it would happen to others and not to themselves. I have
studied a large number of military monuments in Europe and in North America. I observed that
none shows death on a battlefield in any realistic way: we may see a bronze figure of a soldier
being lifted to heaven by an angel, but we do not see depictions in statuary of severe casualties,
missing limbs, etc. Indeed, in Great Britain in past centuries, censorship by the War Office made
sure that acceptable public memorial monuments did not depict battlefield deaths or mutilations
since such would harm recruiting for future conflicts. Even without official censorship, any
artist wanting to obtain a commission for such public monuments is likely to quickly realize that
public acceptance, good taste, and the views of Juries selecting winning artistic concepts will
guard against realistic depictions of the darker side of armed conflict.
The creative stage for this special sculpture was about 50 hours of labour; copies require
about 8 hours of labour to cast and finish. Only four copies of this work exist but it remains
available. In January 1996, a copy was sold for $885.
6.
"KNEELING GUNNER" 1970. Epoxy, Open Edit, H34 cm X W24 cm X D24 cm.
Original, unnumbered.
I wanted to create a statue depicting "artillery" but without resorting to
sculpting a gun and its four-man gun crew. I knew of a peculiarity of Artillery
that the gun itself is NOT considered the "weapon'' but merely a "launch means"
while the shell's ROUND (the object which actually travels to the target) was
considered the Artilleryman's real weapon. I thus chose to depict "artillery" by
showing one of the gun crew -- the Loader -- cradling a 105mm artillery round as
he kneels and waits to re-load the gun breach after the gun is fired. The creative
stage required about 80 hours of labour; additional copies could be cast and finished in about
eight hours.
Although each copy of this statue looks the same at first glance, the shoulder title on the
epaulettes was left blank in the Silicone mould. Each casting could thus be made specific to the
buyer's artillery unit by inscribing the copy's shoulder title to represent the client's desired unit:
e.g. RCA (Royal Canadian Artillery), 1RCHA (1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery),
5eRALC (5e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada).
Over 30 copies of this work were cast over the years. Many were purchased for personal
collections; several were acquired by artillery units as regimental centerpieces; one copy was
presented by the Royal Canadian Artillery Association in 1974 to the School of Artillery (CFB
Gagetown, N.B.) as an official centerpiece. In October 95, a copy sold for $700.
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-4The original version of the Kneeling Gunner was rather large (and thus costly to
reproduce) and by the late 1990s I considered it 'out-of-date' as to its uniform and accoutrements.
I therefore re-sculpted a more modern version of a gunner in the same pose in 1997. As the
popularity of the newer version grew, I decided to close the original version and destroyed its
moulds in 2007.
7.
"CANADIAN JUMPER" 1974. Canadian Airborne Regiment, Numbered Edit, 9 in
high. Bronze #430 284 588.
As a young Provost Corps officer, I wanted to take a jump course but
access to such a course was strictly reserved for corps or personnel required to fill
unit establishment positions annotated as "Jump" positions. Since MPs serving in
such jump units were sergeants, corporals or below, I could not get that course in
the first half of my career. In 1969, however, the creation of the Canadian
Airborne Regiment was authorized.
This inspired me to create
"INFANTRYMAN" 1969 – which depicted a paratrooper with the Cdn AB Regt
hat badge. In 1969 – 1973, I served in various appointments in Mobile Command
Headquarters. In 1973, the Commander was LGen Stanley Waters (a WWII
paratrooper veteran of the 1St Canada/USA Special Service Force). That year, I was posted as
Vice Commandant of Collège militaire royal du Canada and was soon commissioned by the
Canadian Airborne Regiment to create a small statuette of a Canadian paratrooper. I was glad to
accept but since I had long desired to get on a jump course, I called LGen Waters to ask if he
could authorize me to go on such a course "…as a useful experience to ensure my sculpting of
the paratrooper statuette would be accurate in all detail." I was 40 years old at that time and a
lieutenant-colonel. As it happens, LGen Waters quickly replied that he was putting together a
special jump course serial of 40 jumpers consisting of senior officers and senior noncommissioned members (half Regulars and half Reservists) from corps or branches of the Army
that had not previously had access to a jump course. I was immediately put on that list.
As Vice-Commandant at CMR, I had a large Physical Education staff under my
supervision. I called in the officer in charge of the PERI staff and one of his sergeants who was
a jumper. I explained that I had six weeks to prepare for the jump course and that I placed
myself in that sergeant's hands to make sure I was in top shape to attend the jump course. On
hearing this, the sergeant's eyes lit up with a gleam of unadulterated joy as he rubbed his hands
together and responded "Yes, Sir. Please report to me at 0600 hrs tomorrow morning at the
gym!" I can assure you that I was in great shape for the jump course. Our course was
nicknamed the "Geritol Jumpers" given the age of the course members. I then completed the
statuette for the Canadian Airborne Regiment and some 3,000 epoxy (and a dozen bronze) copies
were made for members of the Regiment until the unit was disbanded in 1995. By the conditions
of the commission for this statuette the casting moulds were then destroyed and no other copies
of that statuette were made. I have a bronze copy in my collection that cost $200 to have cast at
a bronze foundry in 1975. This bronze bears # 430 284 588.
The creative stage of this statuette involved about 50 hours of labour; I personally cast
the first 150 copies in epoxy for the Regiment (at about 5 hours of labour per copy) and trained a
succession of unit members to continue casting further statuettes on the Regiment's behalf. After
a few years, the Regiment contracted with a civilian memorabilia firm to cast the "CANADIAN
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The Gauthier Collection
-5JUMPER" 1974. Unfortunately, in casting several thousand copies, the civilian firm let the
quality of the finish of this statuette deteriorate to such a degree that I was on the point of
advising the Canadian Airborne Regiment to remove my name from these poor reproductions.
As fate would have it, the Airborne Regiment was suddenly disbanded as a consequence of the
Somalia Inquiry and hazing rituals.
While the 1974 version of this Jumper statuette was no longer produced after the demise
of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, a jump role reverted to the 3 rd battalion of each of the three
Regular Force infantry regiments (PPCLI, RCR and R 22e R), to elements of some support
services and to a small contingent of a Reserve Army unit – The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
in Toronto. In the following year, I created a new "CANADIAN JUMPER" 1996 with Kevlar
helmet, C-7 rifle and new jump harness.
8.
"CADET" 1974. Open Edition, epoxy or bronze, 48 cm high. Original, unnumbered.
In many of the units or organizations in which I served, I often donated a
copy of one of my sculptures on departure. With that in mind, I decided to create a
sculpture of an Officer Cadet to present to the CMR Officers' Mess upon my
eventual posting. I asked the (then) Cadet Wing Commander, OCdt Pierre Trahan
to serve as the model for that new Work. I posed Trahan 'at attention' and in the
moment of drawing his sword to bring it to a full salute as on a ceremonial parade
ground. In due course, I presented a copy of that statuette to CMR. OCdt Trahan
graduated in Business Administration (if I recall correctly) and rose to the rank of
captain in Logistics Branch. His service included a return to CMR as one of the
military professors in the Academic Wing and, I am told, he later chose to leave the Forces for a
civilian career. Several copies of this Work were subsequently sold in both epoxy and bronze
versions. I donated a copy to the CFB Petawawa Military Museum.
The creative stage of this sculpture involved about 80 hours of labour; epoxy copies
require about ten hours of labour. An epoxy copy sold for $985 in January 1997 and a bronze
copy for $3,300 in August 1999.
9.
"WINTER PATROL" 1975.
unnumbered.
Epoxy, 2 copies only, 46 cm high.
Original,
Headquarters Mobile Command commissioned me to create a sculpture
that officers wanted to present to LGen Stan Waters on his retirement. I
proposed a statue depicting an infantryman in winter gear with his rifle 'at the
ready' as he is trudging through snow on snowshoes. Only two copies of "Winter
Patrol" were cast: one for LGen Waters and the Original for my personal
collection.
The creative stage for this sculpture involved about 80 hours of labour; the second copy
required about 10 hours to cast and finish. My commission fee for this work was about $1,000 in
1975.
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-610.
"SAILOR" 1978. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 20, H35 cm X W23 cm X D29 cm. Copy #14/20.
To honour sailors in Canada's Navy, I wanted to focus on an
individual whose pose, dress and equipment depicted an activity widely
associated with seamanship and NOT confined to a particular type of ship. It
struck me that regardless of the size or different mission of the variety of
ships in any navy (e.g. submarines, destroyers, harbour craft, mine-sweepers,
aircraft carriers, cruisers, etc), one particular activity affected every single
ship: the docking manoeuvre where sailors toss a lead-weighted light line
ashore to a dockhand who then hauls in the light line which is attached to the
ship's hawser cable which has a loop the dockhand then secures over a
bollard on the dock. The ship's winch then reels in the extra length of hawser to draw the ship up
against bumpers at dockside. The lead weight on the end of the tossing line is wrapped in a
knotted fashion and is known in naval terminology as the "Monkey's Fist".
With this inspiration in mind, I used a sailor dressed in the traditional bellbottom trousers
and sailor's cap (with "H.M.C. SUBMARINES" cap Tally ribbon – in wartime, Tally ribbons did
not identify the name of the naval vessel), wearing the Submariner's turtleneck sweater and gumsoled shoes. He is depicted holding a coil of the light line in his left hand while in the throwing
motion releasing the "Monkey's Fist" coil from his right hand. At his feet can be seen part of the
hawser cable which will soon secure his "boat" (submarine) dockside. The statue's base on
which he stands can be recognized as part of a submarine's smooth deck; the bollards near his
left foot are retractable to fit flush with the deck for smooth underwater performance.
Of 15 epoxy copies sold to date, several were acquired by individuals including one
Deputy Minister of DND, one CDS, one VCDS and two U.S.N. admirals. Two copies were
purchased by NDHQ Director Exhibitions and Displays in December, 1993 to be part of a
recruiting tour which displayed these and two other of my works in two large vans sent across
Canada in 1994. One copy of this Work was subsequently donated by DND to the permanent art
collection of the Canadian War Museum. My daughter who lives on the outskirts of Victoria,
BC happened to see a CF Recruiting van and decided to walk in to view the exhibit. To her
surprise, she quickly recognized three of my sculptures on display in the van and enjoyed
mentioning this to the recruiters.
The creative stage for this sculpture involved about 80 hours of labour; copies required
about 8 hours to complete. In December 93, an epoxy copy sold for $695.
11.
"PARA DROP" (Small) 1979.
Original, unnumbered.
38 cm X 56 cm epoxy bas-relief, Open Edition.
In the four years following the creation of the large "PARA DROP" bas-reliefs, it became
evident to me that several clients would be interested in a smaller version of this Work. I recreated that sculpture in 1979 and sold 37 over the years.
The creative stage for this bas-relief involved about 40 hours of labour; each copy,
however, required about 10 hours since real strings were used to simulate canopy risers and
lines. In 2010, I sold the last copy for $600.
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-712.
"TROOPER" 1979. Epoxy, Open Edit, H41 cm X W17 cm X
D28 cm. Original, unnumbered.
To depict a member of the Armoured Corps without
showing a tank or other armoured vehicle, presented a
problem similar to the earlier Work ("KNEELING
GUNNER"). Nevertheless, of the various types of tank gun
rounds available, one round is unique in its appearance
because its projectile does NOT have the same diameter as
the shell's narrow neck -- the calibre of the gun -- as is normal for artillery rounds
and other tank rounds. The special round in question is a Kinetic Energy round
which depends on a long-rod penetrator (instead of an exploding round) propelled at very high
velocity and, because of its small-diameter-and-extra-length rod of tungsten carbide steel,
produces enormous impact forces at the point of contact with the target. If this tough steel
touched the inside rifling of the tank gun barrel it would wear it out; the rod's small diameter
requires it be held in the centre of the barrel and shell casing by the use of a "sabot" which
carries the rod through the barrel and is shed as the rod travels to the target. The name of this
anti-tank round is thus an ''APDS'' round (Armour-piercing, Discarding Sabot).
By posing an Armoured Corps Trooper holding up an APDS round (as he would in
handing up such a round to another crewman in the turret to re-stock the ammunition bins in the
Centurion tank), the knowledgeable viewer can tell this man is a tank crewman without a tank
being in evidence. About fifteen epoxy copies of this work are in existence. One of these copies
is the Corps centerpiece at the School of Armour, CFB Gagetown, NB.
The creative stage for this sculpture involved about 80 hours of labour; copies require
about six hours. In January 08, a copy was sold for $650.
13.
"PILOT" 1980. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 35, H47 cm X W24 cm X D20 cm.
Original, Copy #01/35.
Twenty-one of this Limited Edition have been sold. The model for this
statue was a young lieutenant flying CF-101 Voodoo interceptors from CFB
Comox, B.C. Most copies of this Work have been purchased by individuals but
four were presented to senior commanders: two copies went to former Chiefs of
the Defence Staff and two others went to former Commanders Air Command. In
1989, the wife of Major Taylor (the young officer who had served as model nine
years earlier) presented a copy of this Work to her husband.
Creative stage involved 100 hours of labour; copies required about 12 hours.
November 89, a copy was sold for $675.
14.
In
"SAPPER" 1981. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 35, 40 cm high. Original, Copy #01/35.
To my view, Combat Engineers have one of the most dangerous set of tasks in the
combat environment. That includes clearing mines, booby traps, unexploded munitions and a
range of deadly "IEDs" (Improvised Explosive Devices) such as those which killed or wounded
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-8so many of our troops in the Afghanistan theatre of action after 2002. Engineers have carried out
this dangerous work even in several Peacekeeping operations. When I decided to create a
sculpture to honour our Combat Engineers, it was natural for me to depict a Sapper with a mine
detector. This Limited Edition of 35 quickly sold out.
Creative stage required about 100 hours of labour due to the quantity of equipment
models on this work; copies required about 12 hours of labour. The last copy was sold in June
1985 for $425.
15.
"LEOPARDS" 1981. Epoxy bas-relief, Ltd Edit of 200, H40 cm X W48 cm. Original,
Copy #01/200.
In 1980-81, I attended the National Defence College. When
our course visited CFB Gagetown, we were shown a number of
demonstrations of military equipment and live fire exercises. At one
point, I photographed two Leopard 1 tanks and decided later that I
would make a bas-relief sculpture on this subject.
On this bas-relief, the two Leopard 1 tanks are seen emerging
from a forest into a clearing. Both tanks are camouflaged and tend to blend in with the forest
background. The lead tank has it gun traversed to its right as it scans the terrain.
The creative stage required about 40 hours of labour; each copy requires about 5 hours of labour.
As it turned out, only 12 copies were made. In June 1998, a copy was sold for $350.
16.
"HIGHLANDER" 1982. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 15, H69 cm X W35 X D35. Original,
Copy #02/15.
This statue depicts a member of a Militia Highland regiment. This
Work was commissioned by the Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of a Highland
Militia regiment in Western Canada. The Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel
ordered three copies of which he presented two -- one each to the Regiment's
Officers' Mess and Sergeants' Mess; he kept the third for his own private
collection. By modifying the Glengarry headdress, hat badge and shoulder
titles, two other Highland regiments each purchased a copy to serve as their
regimental centrepiece: Lake Superior Scottish Regiment (Thunder Bay, Ont)
and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Hamilton, Ont).
The client was provided with Copies #01, #03 and #04/15. I retained the Original but
numbered it #02/15. The creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; each copy required
about 15 hours of labour. In June 2009, copy #08/15 sold for $2,500. No further copies
available and moulds destroyed in 2009.
17.
"MOUNTED OFFICER" 1982.
unnumbered.
Epoxy, Open Edit, 25 cm high.
Original,
This statuette represents an Armoured Branch officer in the traditional dress
(and sword) of a Cavalry officer. This Work was originally requested by the Lord
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-9Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadian) Regiment. In this version, the officer's helmet and
'cartouchière' pouch bore the LdSH (RC) badge. Over the years, the LdSH (RC) has continued
to order copies of this version. In 1983, the Royal Canadian Dragoons (based in CFB Petawawa)
celebrated their Centennial. The RCD requested that I modify the "MOUNTED OFFICER"
statuette by substituting their hat badge on the helmet and cartouchière pouch and presented a
copy of this version to the City of Lahr, Germany (as part of the Freedom of the City ceremony
to mark their Centennial). The RCD also presented a copy to the Armoured School at CFB
Gagetown, N.B. One copy was later presented to the Canadian Military Representative in
NATO Headquarters. With both versions, several dozen copies have been made to date.
The creative stage for the first LdSH (RC) version involved about 60 hours of labour;
conversion of one copy to an RCD version and making its own moulds required an additional 30
hours of labour. Each copy requires about six hours to cast and finish. In June 2009 a copy was
sold for $450.
18.
"PATRICIA" 1983. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 35, 38 cm high. Original, Copy #05/35.
Originally commissioned by the Commanding Officer of the 2e
Battalion, PPCLI in order to present a copy of this Work to the
Regiment's Honorary Colonel, MGen G.G. Brown (who received copy
#01/35), this statue became very popular and the entire Edition sold out.
To my great satisfaction, the Client only gave broad direction specifying
that the Work should represent a PPCLI soldier, dressed as per the WW
II Italian Campaign, and depicted in a relaxed "after-the-battle" setting
(rather than, say, an aggressive combat pose). It was left to me to come
up with a pose that would capture that idea. The inspiration was thus to
depict this soldier sitting on a crate rifle across his lap and helmet on the cobblestone street at his
feet, while he lights a cigarette. The uniform shown was Summer Dress worn during the Italian
Campaign and the location was reinforced by the depiction of cobblestones. The visual impact is
of a brief moment of rest following battle (and readiness to re-engage on a moment's notice).
In 1989, the then Curator of Art for the Canadian War Museum contacted me and asked
to visit my home/studio. Upon examining examples of my works, she stated that she wished to
purchase a copy of the "PATRICIA", 1983 statue for the permanent collection of the museum.
Although she was told that a copy of this statuette had been sold for $600 in 1989, she stated that
in her professional opinion, each copy of this Work would be worth $5000 to $7000 at Fair
Market Value in 1989. She informed me that the museum would insist on paying a fair price for
its copy. I set the price at $4,800 for copy #34/35 and she readily accepted and later confirmed
and paid that price in acquiring that copy for the Canadian War Museum. In 2008, a copy of this
Limited Edition became available to a military collector who asked an art appraiser to confirm its
current FMV. When given the above background, that art appraiser set what he deemed a very
conservative FMV of $9,000 in 2008.
Since acquiring that copy, the Canadian War Museum has on two occasions of six-month
duration each, exhibited this Work as part of military art displayed at the museum. The last
occasion placed this statue as one of only four or five sculptures forming part of a display
including paintings by Charles Comfort, Alex Colville and other noted war artists.
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- 10 The creative stage for this sculpture involved about 100 hours of labour; each copy
required about 12 hours of labour.
19.
"VEHICLE MECHANIC" 1983. Epoxy, Limited Edition of 40, 28 cm high. Copy
#09/40.
In 1983, I wanted to create a sculpture depicting a vehicle mechanic
and made a call to the Commanding Officer of the EME workshop at CFB
Winnipeg. I described the project I had in mind and asked him to provide
me with a worthy Veh Mech to serve as my model for the photo session I
required. My intention was to pose the mechanic cleaning a Jeep cylinder
head before re-installing it on the Jeep's engine. While I spent some time
describing the 'props' I would need for the pose and theme of this
sculpture, I forgot to describe the sort of human model I required. At the
appointed time, I arrived at the EME workshop, met the CO and was taken to the spot where the
various props for the photo shoot were assembled. Standing by these props was a MCpl of rather
rotund size – obese, to be precise! Introductions were made but I asked the CO to step aside for
a moment to discuss a problem. I said to the CO that the model he had selected was no doubt his
best vehicle mechanic – which the CO immediately confirmed. I then said "I am creating a
sculpture to highlight an EME Vehicle Mechanic but once this sculpture is completed, I am very
unlikely to ever create another sculpture honouring the same trade. If only one such sculpture is
created, does EME Branch really want the sculpted figure to represent someone so 'weight
challenged?" The CO immediately saw my point and found a way to gently draw his top
mechanic aside and to find me a substitute.
We then proceeded to set up the desired pose with a trim mechanic. The entire Limited
Edition was sold out within a few years. I retained one copy for my personal collection. The
creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour; each copy required about 10 hours of labour.
In May 1990, a copy was sold for $500.
20.
"LAND FORCES COMMAND" 1983. Epoxy bas-relief, Open Edit, 34 cm X 44 cm.
Original, unnumbered.
Originally titled "FMC", the title was later changed to conform to
the re-designation of that army command. The bas relief depicts
Canadian infantrymen firing machine guns from slit trenches in a
defense position.
For the first ten years of its existence, this work served as an
official presentation gift from Mobile Command (later Land Forces Command) to visiting
dignitaries. In mid 90s, it also became a retirement present to general officers of the Command.
73 copies were sold with the last copy at $170 in June 1997. The creative stage involved about
30 hours of labour; each copy required about four hours of labour.
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- 11 21.
"LINEMAN" 1984. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 40, 35 cm high. Original, Copy #01/40.
In an age of sophisticated electronics and satellite communications plus
high battlefield mobility, the army makes little use of the older field telephones
dependent on stringing telephone lines. Nevertheless, when looking for a
symbol of the modern military communications support, it is natural to depict an
army Lineman -- the soldier dressed with safety belt and climbing spurs whose
job it is to climb poles or trees to string telephone lines. In previous wars, this
task was extremely hazardous since the Lineman was constantly exposed to
sniper fire and this trade suffered many casualties.
To date, fourteen copies of this 40-copy Ltd Edit have been made. One copy was
presented by an Honorary Colonel to his Communications Regiment on his departure; several
senior officers of this Branch have purchased copies for their own private collections.
The creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; each copy requires about 12 hours
of labour. In January 2010, a copy was sold for $600.
22.
"JAVELIN GUNNER" 1993. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 40, 41 cm high. Original, Copy
#01/40.
This statue depicts a member of the Artillery's Low Level Air Defence
specialty, holding a shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft missile. In its original version, the
weapon held was called "BLOWPIPE" and thirteen copies were sold in that
version. When the "BLOWPIPE" missile became obsolete, the army replaced it
with the newer version called "JAVELIN"; I therefore modified my original
statuette to replace the weapon held by this soldier to the newer weapon.
Subsequent copies bore the new weapon. A total of 25 copies out of the Ltd Edit
of 40 have been made.
The creative stage for the initial statuette with the Blowpipe weapon involved some 100
hours of labour; the conversion of the weapon to Javelin required an additional 50 hours of
labour to re-sculpt the left arm, hand and weapon while also re-making the production moulds.
Each copy requires about 8 hours of labour. In October 1995 a copy was sold for $600.
23.
"FACES OF WAR" 1984. Epoxy, bas-relief, 67 cm wide X 88 cm
high. Original, unnumbered.
Major General Georges G. Brown (Ret'd) then Honorary Colonel of
the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry , commissioned me to create
a composite bas-relief. In the upper right corner was to be an extract of a
World War I painting depicting a PPCLI officer shouting orders to his
troops in a trench during an attack on his position. In the center left side of
the bas-relief (and again from a painting) was to appear a soldier from the
World War II Italian campaign advancing towards a shattered enemy tank turret. In the most
prominent position of the bas-relief was to be a reproduction of a Korean War photo of a PPCLI
soldier on a patrol. Only two copies of this Work exist: one donated by MGen Brown to his
regiment and the original retained by me.
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- 12 Creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour; the second copy required another ten
hours to complete. The copy sold to the Client was priced at $1,000 in 1984.
24.
"SAPPER II" 1986. Epoxy, Numbered Edit, H42 cm X W20 cm X D30 cm. Original,
Copy #01.
Military engineers are traditionally called "sappers". This Work depicts
a Sapper carrying a pneumatic drill (such as is commonly used to drill holes in
solid rock or in concrete to place demolition charges). This statue was made as
a Numbered Edition whereby each copy cast would be numbered consecutively
but no upper limit was set on the copies made. To date, about 46 copies have
been made and copies can be found in almost all Regular Force Engineer
regiments as well as in the private collection of many individuals.
Creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; each copy requires about 15 hours of
labour. In May 2004, a copy was sold for $650.
25.
"INTO ACTION" Maquette 1987. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 50, H37 cm X W18 cm X D38
cm. Copy #02/50.
A 37cm (14.5") high epoxy Maquette for the Airborne Monument
at CFB Petawawa. It depicts a Canadian Airborne Trooper dressed in
winter gear who has just landed on a frozen lake Drop Zone, shed his
parachute (seen at his feet in the snow), donned his back pack and
attached snowshoes and, with his FN C1 7.62mm rifle 'at the trail', is
seen sprinting off the DZ to go into action.
The original copy of this Limited Edition Maquette (#01/50) was presented to the
Canadian Airborne Regiment by LCol Dave Martin, former DCO. Over the years, a total of 32
copies were cast. I retained copy #02/50 for my collection.
Creative stage required about 120 hours of labour and included the design of the
monument concept. Additional copies require about 12 hours of labour. In October 1999, a
copy was sold for $685.
26.
"M-109s" 1988. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 50, 2' X 3'. Original, Copy #02/50.
In the mid-1980s, the Canadian Forces had a NATO
commitment to provide a mechanized brigade group for deployment
to the Northern flank of NATO's land forces in the event of
mounting tensions or threats from the Warsaw Pact armies.
Canada's contribution at that time was called the CAST Combat
Group (Canadian Air Sea Transportable). A major exercise of this
CAST Combat Group was conducted by a deployment from
Canadian bases to Norway. In 1988, a representative of SNC Defence Products Ltd
commissioned me to create a sculpture of Canadian artillery deployed on that exercise. I
reviewed a number of photos taken of Canadian M-109s (tracked self-propelled 155mm gun) and
selected one photo of such guns set in camouflaged firing positions during that exercise. On the
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- 13 basis of that photo, I created a 2 ft X 3 ft bas-relief in epoxy. While I designated it a Limited
Edition of 50, only four copies exist at this time: the Client obtained Copy #01/50 but understood
that I retained the Original which I numbered Copy #02/50. A copy was ordered by the Artillery
School for presentation to its commandant on his departure.
The creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; each copy requires about 15 hours
of labour. The commission fee was $2,150 in 1988; Copy #04 sold in July 1999 for $995.
27.
"ANTI TANK PATROL" 1988. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 50, H50 cm X W30 cm XD35 cm
Original, Copy #50/50.
1989 marked the 75th Anniversary of the Princess Patricia's Canadian
Light Infantry Regiment. For that anniversary, the Regiment commissioned me
to create this statue representing a PPCLI soldier with the Karl Gustav anti tank
rocket launcher slung over his back as he carries his C7 rifle "at the ready" while
on patrol. The Regiment ordered 25 copies of this Work and presented copies to
several notables including the Regiment's Colonel-in-Chief, H.R.H. Princess
Alexandria (daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten) and H.E. the (Late) Rt Hon
Jeanne Sauvé, Governor-General of Canada. Copies of this anniversary statue
also became regimental centerpieces in the Regular Force battalions of the
Regiment as well as in its Militia battalion, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment. One copy of this
statue was donated by DND to the permanent art collection of the Canadian War Museum. In
all, 33 of this 50-copy Ltd Edit have been made.
Creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; each copy requires about 12 hours. In
July 1993, a copy was sold for $795.
28.
"THE REFUGE" 1989. Four-figure 1/10th scale Maquette entry for the Peacekeeping
Monument competition. Original.
In 1989, I was invited with eight other Canadian sculptors
to participate in a national competition for a peacekeeping
monument sponsored by the Department of National Defence.
Each artist had to team up with a landscape architect to integrate
site features along with the sculptural elements. The site chosen
for the Peacekeeping Monument is on Sussex Drive, Ottawa, near
the National Art Gallery. All participants were briefed on the competition terms of reference and
told that the budget could not exceed 1.3 million dollars. The sculptural figures were to
represent all three services and both men and women of the Forces.
In my Artist's Concept titled "THE REFUGE", I envisaged a shallow circular pool of
water (the World*) with a granite island in the middle. Upon that island were placed four bronze
figures: a soldier holding the UN flag on a staff and with an arm around a granite column
representing a contemporary human figure. Other granite columns ('human figures') were set in
the pool of water rising as they approached the island. Another bronze figure – a sailor – is seen
having tossed a line out to a 'human' in distress in the water; the next bronze figure – an airman –
is seen down on one knee extending his hand out to help a 'swimmer' safely ashore. The last
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- 14 bronze figure – a Military Policewoman – is seen using the handset of the army figure's
backpack radio set to call in assistance. The composition thus captures the idea of troubled and
distressed victims seeking refuge under the banner of a UN Force.
My entry placed second in the competition that was won by a western sculptor; when I
saw his entry submission on display after the competition announcement, I wondered how that
artist had managed to produce an apparently expensive concept within the allotted budget.
Worse, however, was the observation that his maquette had only three bronze figures (one
female and two male figures), all of which were in 'army' uniforms. Neither the Air Force nor
the Navy were represented in the winner's concept model. I learned that the Air Force
complained. Rather than disqualify that artist, the National Capital Commission (NCC)
bureaucrats simply instructed the artist to modify the dress of one of the army male figures to
that of the neutral non-combat CF uniform worn on some UN operations at the time. Six months
after this artist had been named the winner, it was confirmed that he had seriously 'low-balled'
his cost estimates and should have been disqualified. His selection by the jury cost DND more
than $3 million – double the authorized budget. I grant that the winning entry makes a beautiful
monument; my argument is that the NCC (and DND's representative who insisted on strict
adherence to the budget ceiling), failed to disqualify that entry for ignoring the competition
guidelines in several respects. This experience caused me to decline another monument
competition supervised by the NCC staff when the allotted budget seemed much too low to meet
the monument's competition objectives.
I had made two copies of the Maquette for my entry. The one submitted to the
Competition Jury was donated by DND to the CFB Petawawa Military Museum. The original
copy is in my collection, but due to lack of space in my home, I reduced the shape and size of the
*circular pool to a smaller size. The submission fee paid to the artists and their landscape
architect partners was $9,000 per team. I shared the fee with my architect. The creative stage of
my entry maquette involved about 200 hours of labour.
29.
"PEACEKEEPER" 1990. Epoxy and Bronze, Ltd Edit of 50, H50 cm X W20 cm X
D18 cm. Bronze, Copy #B12/50.
This statue represents a typical Canadian Infantryman on UN duties. The
model for this work was a Master Corporal Landry, Cie "D", 2e Batallion, R22eR.
He is dressed with protective vest, UN beret and shoulder patch, with portable
radio on his back and with his C7 rifle slung. On his chest is a pair of binoculars.
The presence of two water bottles on his equipment belt indicates he is serving in a
hot climate area.
Army officers presented a copy of this Work to LGen Louis MacKenzie, of
UN Sarajevo fame, on his retirement. Another copy was presented to 1st Battalion,
PPCLI by the 2nd Battalion RCR. The RCR also presented a copy to their British allied
regiment, The Gloucesters. In all, 18 copies of this Work were cast in Epoxy. Four copies were
cast in Bronze.
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- 15 The creative stage involved about 120 of labour; epoxy copies required about 10 hours of
labour. In July 1995, an epoxy copy sold for $1,725; in May 1995, a bronze copy sold for
$2,850.
30.
"MILITARY POLICEWOMAN" 1990. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 200, H24 cm X W15 cm
X D15 cm. Original, Copy #01/200.
Originally, this piece was one of four figures grouped together in the
Maquette submitted by the Artist as his entry in the Peacekeeping Monument
(Ottawa) competition. In that concept, the Military Policewoman was in the same
pose except that the radio handset was connected to the radio carried on another
soldier's back. As the Artist did not win that Monument competition, he opted to
offer the Military Policewoman figure as a "stand alone" figure in a Ltd Edit of
200. For that purpose, the radio set was placed on the ground beside the figure's
left foot.
The model chosen for this figure was Corporal L.M.M. Monette (a member of 2 MP
Platoon), who had the distinction of being the first woman MP sent to a dangerous UN
Peacekeeping mission: NAMIBIA (assignments previously restricted to male MPs). To date,
only 10 copies have been made.
Creative stage was initially included in the Peacekeeping Monument submission but extra
work to adapt this figure to a stand-alone subject added about 50 hours of labour. Each copy
requires 5 hours of labour. In March 1996, a copy was sold for $200.
31.
"EME WKSP 1990. Epoxy bas-relief, Ltd Edit of 200, H44 cm X W54 cm. Original,
Copy #02/200.
The intent of this bas-relief was to depict all four trades of the
army's Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Branch in the same
scene. For this purpose, an M-109 155mm SP gun is depicted at a
Field Workshop. In the left forefront can be seen part of a Leopard
Armoured Recovery Vehicle whose crane (not shown) is lowering an
M-109 vehicle engine into position under the guidance of an ENE Vehicle Mechanic. Atop the
M-109 is seen an ENE Metal Tech welding a fitting near the main gun's recoil mechanism. Two
EME Armt Techs are seen hoisting a .50 cal HMG on the vehicle's Port side. In the foreground
is an EME Electronics Tech adjusting a Laser Range Finder from the M-109.
This bas-relief depicted a great deal of detail in the M-109's track system, crane and
engine, for example; as a result, creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour. Copies require
about 10 hours of labour. In May 1994, a copy sold for $495.
32.
"THE BRIDGE" 1990.
Original, Copy #01/50.
Epoxy bas-relief, Ltd Edit of 50, H60 cm X W90 cm.
When the commanding officer of an Engineer
regiment asked me when I would be creating a new Combat
Engineer work of art, our discussion led me to join that
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- 16 regiment for a day while they conducted a bridging exercise in CFB Borden's training area. I
brought a video camera to record the action but also took a series of still photographs at a
number of intervals during the bridge assembly sequences. I developed and printed a dozen
possible contending scenes but rated each in descending order of preference as possible basrelief sculptures. The CO reviewed the photos and agreed with the one I had rated as the most
striking composition. The resulting bas-relief shows members of that regiment assembling a
Medium Girder Bridge across a 27m wide and 4m deep dry gap at C.F.B. Borden during an
exercise in April 1990. From the arrival of the convoy of engineer vehicles with the loaded
bridging set and accompanied by cranes and dozers, to the completed bridge when a vehicle
drove over only two hours had elapsed – impressive results! Six copies of this bas-relief were
cast. Copies of this work are located at several combat engineer regiments.
This large bas-relief turned out to be very complex given varying degrees of 'reliefs'
perspective, depth, the number of Sappers and the amount of bridging equipment depicted. As a
result, the creative stage involved about 150 hours of labour. Copies require about 15 hours of
labour. In June 2000, a copy was sold for $995.
33.
"DESERT CATS" 1991.
Original, Copy #01/250.
Epoxy bas-relief, Ltd Edit of 250, H27 cm X 37 cm.
This bas-relief depicts a CF-18 'Hornet' fighter-bomber during re-arming at its Quatar air
base during the First Gulf War. A second CF-18 is seen landing in the background. The title is
drawn from the nickname given to the Canadian CF-18 contingent deployed in that war. A copy
of this Work was acquired by the Air Force Museum in CFB Winnipeg.
My decision to declare this a 250 copy Limited Edition was
wildly off the mark! I had forgotten that unlike army members, air
force and naval members tend to purchase paintings, models or photos
of aircraft they have flown or ships in which they served. Sculpture is
not a popular choice for these two Services. Nevertheless, I enjoyed
creating this small bas-relief. Creative stage involved about 60 hours
of labour; copies require about five hours of labour. In March 2005, a
copy sold for $475.
34.
"THREE AND A TIGER" 1991. Epoxy, Numbered Edition, B52 cm X W38 cm X
D32 cm. Original, unnumbered.
In 1991, the Conference of Defence Associations Institute wanted to
initiate an annual award to honour a Canadian personage who was judged to have
made an outstanding contribution to the Nation's peace and security. It wanted to
commission a statue representing a WW I officer in the Battle of Vimy Ridge
(April 1917) but wanted the pose to convey the historic occasion of "Canada's
'coming out' or 'national assertion' in which this victory was later viewed. I was
commissioned to create this Work.
My concept was to depict a young Canadian lieutenant at the moment of victory on the
crest of Vimy Ridge. Conscious of the high number of casualties suffered in this battle, I did not
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- 17 want to depict "happiness" per se, but rather, a tired smile and gesture of victory conveying a
spontaneous mixed feeling of pride and relief in his personal survival of this ordeal. The young
officer is thus depicted with a tired smile, right foot resting on the sandbags and his left foot on
the "duck boards" of the enemy's trenches at the top of Vimy Ridge; he still has his .45 cal
Webley service revolver 'at the ready' in his right hand. His left arm is extended upwards with
his helmet raised in the classic "cheer" gesture commonly known in the army as "THREE
(CHEERS) AND A TIGER" -- from the custom of ordering a unit to doff and raise their
headdress in a formal cheer to some V.I.P. or notable event in which the person ordering the
cheer says "HIP, HIP!" and the troops respond "Hurray!" three times in succession, followed by
one last prompt "TIGER!" and the fourth response, "HURRAY!'' (after which all troops put their
headdress back on).
The Conference of Defence Associations Institute approved the concept and requested
two versions of the Work be created: the full-size 52cm tall statue which they wanted mounted
on a tall octagonal-shaped oak base (of my design) bearing the crest of the CDA and,
cumulatively over the subsequent years, a series of small brass plaques identifying the Recipient
of the Vimy Award for each year. The CDAI also commissioned me to re-sculpt the statue in a
smaller, half-size version to be reproduced as a Numbered Edition, a copy of which would be
given to each year's winner of the Vimy Award, for his or her personal retention.
From 1991 to Nov 2008, Vimy Award winners included one former Prime Minister,
seven former Chiefs of Defence Staff, two Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, a
noted Canadian military historian, and other outstanding Canadians. The annual presentation of
this award continues. The large Vimy Award statuette is on permanent display in the Canadian
War Museum. I retained the original copy of this work in my collection.
The creative stage for this statuette involved about 100 hours of labour; copies required
about 12 hours of labour. The commission fee for creating both the large statue and its ½ size
version was $2,400 in 1990. In January 2010, small versions of this statuette sold for $550 a
copy.
35.
"IN GOOD HANDS" 1992. Epoxy, Limited Edition of 50. H39 cm X W56 cm X D30
cm. Original, Copy #01/50.
This work depicts a Canadian Medical Assistant treating a
wounded soldier on a stretcher. Copies of this work were acquired by
the Canadian Forces Medical School in Borden, Ont. and by several
other medical units.
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- 18 Most of my three-dimensional works depict a single individual but a few group two or
more figures together (e.g. the Peacekeeping Monument Maquette). In the latter example, four
figures are grouped in a manner related to one another, but do not actually touch. In this medical
scene, however, the Med Asst is taking the casualty's pulse and is seen holding the casualty's left
wrist. This presented a technical problem in mould-making and casting of the two joined
figures: my solution was to cut a section of the casualty's left wrist so that it was cast as part of
the Med Asst's left hand; when final assembly of the various parts is done, the Med Asst's left
hand/arm is carefully located into the slot of the casualty's left wrist and glued into position,
thereby linking the two figures at this point.
Because of the two figures linked in this sculpture, the creative stage took about 120
hours to complete. Copies require about 12 hours of labour. In September 1993, a copy sold for
$1,950.
36.
"THE RETURN" 1992. Epoxy and Bronze, Ltd Edit 100 copies, H28 cm X W18 cm X
D20 cm. Original, Copy #01/100.
In 1992, 1 was invited to compete for the Canada Memorial Monument to
be erected in London's Green Park opposite Buckingham Palace. Conrad Black
organized the competition. This monument was intended to honour Canada's
1,000,000 men and women who, over two world wars, went to fight alongside
Great Britain. My entry in this competition was this WWII Canadian soldier seen
giving the "V-for-Victory" sign to signify the first contingents of Canadians
arriving in England at the beginning of WWII (coming back to the U.K. after
Canada's earlier participation in WWI). The title "THE RETURN" for this statue
plus two bas-reliefs to be mounted on the statue's granite pedestal (one of the
various services sent to WWI and the other, of those sent to WWII) were meant together to
bridge Canada's contribution to the U.K. in the two world wars. My entry did not win and this
statuette (without the bas-reliefs) is now offered in a somewhat different visual perspective: that
of a triumphant Canadian soldier returning home from WWII. The title remains but "THE
RETURN" now signifies a return to Canada rather than the original arrival in England/return to
England.
"THE RETURN" depicts a young Canadian Infantryman in WWII Battle Dress with his
helmet attached to his small pack and his Lee Enfield Mk 4 Rifle slung over his left shoulder.
With his right hand, he is giving the "V-for-Victory" sign and has a cheerful smile on his face.
Five copies were cast in epoxy and other copies were cast in bronze.
Creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour; epoxy copies require about six hours of
labour. In March 2003, an epoxy copy sold for $495.
37.
"SERVICE BATTALION" 1993. Epoxy bas-relief, Ltd Edit of 50, H35 cm X W55
cm. Original, Copy #01/50.
This work represents a vehicle convoy exiting from the
Service Battalion's harbour area in the field. The vehicles
include some types only found in this unit. The unit location
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- 19 sign in the foreground marks the entrance to the harbour area. Service battalions acquired
several copies of this work.
Creative stage involved some 80 hours of labour; copies require about 8 hours. In May
1997, a copy sold for $650.
38.
"WEAPONS TECH" 1993. Epoxy, 30 cm W X 28 cm D X 23 cm H, Limited Edition
of 100. Original, Copy #06/100.
A senior EME officer asked me if I would consider making a
new statuette to depict a Weapons Tech in particular. An earlier basrelief – "EME WKSP" 1990 – had depicted all four EME trades working
on or near an M-109 SP Gun, but depicting a Weapons Tech on his own
presented an interesting challenge.
This project was not a
commissioned work but a simple request that I agreed to do. After some
thought, I decided to depict a Weapons Tech working on parts of a 81 mm mortar. He is
depicted with parts of this weapon laid out on a ground sheet, as he is cleaning the 'flash
eliminator' of the mortar barrel.
While I consider this piece very striking because of its composition, its size and
complexity meant setting a rather high price to cover the labour involved in casting and finishing
copies. Since an earlier EME statuette of mine – "VEHICLE MECH" 1983 – had been a Limited
Edition of 40 and the edition sold out quickly, I thought making this Weapons Tech statuette as a
Limited Edition of 100. Over the years, only seven copies were made. Upon reflection, I had
forgotten that this EME trade did not have as many members as the Veh Tech specialty and that
the higher cost of this complex statuette made it less affordable to non-commissioned members.
A lesson learned. Since the senior officer who first asked me to create this work specifically
requested that his copy be numbered #01/100, my original copy (which would usually bear that
number or an Artist's Proof number) happens to be numbered 06/100 and is part of my
collection.
Creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; copies require about 10 hours of
labour. In October 1993, a copy sold for $595.
39.
''AU REVOIR" 1994 (Maquette). Epoxy and Bronze, Ltd Edit of 50, 28 cm high.
Bronze Copy #50/50.
This statuette was the 1/12th scale Maquette for a
3.05m (10'6") high bronze statue for the CFB Valcartier
monument marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of
that base in August 1914. The monument was unveiled on
21 April 1995 by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. The B&W
photo was taken in the foundry and gives an idea of the size of the
bronze statue. The photo on the right shows me standing with my wife,
Francoise in front of the monument at CFB Valcartier.
Camp Valcartier was created as the assembly, training and dispatch
location for all Canadian Army volunteers of World War I. In developing my concept for this
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- 20 monument, I wanted to depict a typical young Canadian Infantryman on the point of his
departure from the Camp to board ship at Quebec City heading for the European battlefields at
the beginning of this war. I wanted to depict this soldier in high spirits and in an informal pose
to capture the sense of adventure and immortality that infused these youths before encountering
the devastation of that "war-to-end-all-wars".
Two years before, I had created the maquette for a WWII monument competition -"THE RETURN", 1992 (which showed a soldier returning from war) and was struck by the
thought that the same pose modified by having the young soldier waving "au revoir'' with an
open hand (instead of the "V-for-Victory" sign) would capture the idea of 'departure' (the
purpose of Camp Valcartier being the eventual dispatch of its troops to Europe) but with a sense
of optimism in saying "au revoir" ("until we meet again") rather than "adieu" ("farewell"). The
maquette and the full-scale bronze statue depict a young Canadian soldier in WWI dress and web
equipment, carrying a Ross Mk 3 rifle slung over his left shoulder, waving "au revoir" with his
right hand extended as he smiles to someone seeing him off.
As I periodically update this list of my military sculptures (today being November, 2008),
I am struck with coincidence that the previous rotation of the Canadian contingent in Kandahar,
Afghanistan was based mainly on troops from 5e Groupe-brigade Mécanisé du Canada supported
by Reservists from many francophone Militia regiments assembled and trained at CFB
Valcartier. It is with great sadness and admiration that we are again learning of the deaths and
serious injuries this generation of Canadian Forces soldiers are facing with such high morale. I
have no doubt they too left Canada with a strong sense that their deployment was but an "au
revoir". I pray that this remains true for each and everyone, yet know that is not the case.
Ten Artist's Proofs of this maquette were cast in epoxy as part of the process for
enlarging the model to the full-size bronze statue and for casting the Limited Edition of 50 copies
of the maquette in bronze. One of these epoxy Artist's Proofs was presented by the Commander
5e Groupe-brigade Mécanisé du Canada to the Prime Minister following the unveiling ceremony.
One of the bronze Limited Edition was presented by a corporate sponsor of the monument to the
Canadian War Museum on 29 May 1995 for its permanent art collection. Thirty four bronze
copies of this work have been sold to date.
The maquette was created as part of the Monument commission of $100,000 for the
creation of the 3.05m high bronze statue. The large bronze statue was cast at Artcast Inc of
Georgetown, ON. The creative stage for the maquette alone involved about 80 hours of labour;
the creation of the full-size model and moulds required another five months on my part and a
further six months for the bronze foundry. Epoxy copies of the maquette require about five
hours of labour. In July 1995, a bronze copy sold for $2,500. In May 2005, an epoxy copy sold
for $495.
40.
"BOMBER CREWMAN" 1994. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 50, H40 cm X W16
cm X D14 cm. Original, Copy #01/50.
WWII bomber crewman in RCAF No 6 Bomber Group. Seen here in flight
suit with "escape-and-evasion" boots (detachable top leaves a civilian-type shoe),
parachute harness and separate parachute "chest" pack (attached only when
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- 21 ordered to abandon aircraft). Of nearly one quarter million Canadians who served in all air force
operations in WWII, seventeen thousand lost their lives. In No 6 Bomber Group, only one crew
in three survived 30 missions needed to complete a tour of operations.
Copies of this work were displayed in CF Recruiting vehicles during 1994 (along with a
sailor and infantryman by the Sculptor) to mark the 50th anniversary of D-Day 1944. One copy
of this work was then presented by DND to the Canadian War Museum's permanent art
collection. In total, seven copies made to date.
The creative stage for this work involved about 100 hours of labour; copies require about
12 hours of labour. In January 1995, a copy sold for $1,385.
41.
"THE SALUTE" 1994 Maquette. Epoxy and Bronze versions, Ltd Edit of 50, 32 cm
high. Original, Copy #01/50.
1/6th scale Maquette for a 1.9m (6'4")
high bronze statue of a WWII Canadian sailor
for an RCN Association monument in
Burlington, Ont to honour all Canadians who
served in the RCN and Merchant Marine. In
particular, it honours those who perished at sea in that war.
The sailor statue stands on a five foot high granite base which lists all
RCN and Canadian Merchant vessels sunk in WWII; at some distance
behind the statue is a granite wall bearing the names of all RCN and Canadian Merchant vessels
which served in that war. The statue is facing out over Lake Ontario and his salute is meant for
his lost shipmates. The Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Ontario unveiled this monument
on 14 May 1995. The commission fee to produce the 6'4" bronze statue was $40,000 in 1994.
The creative stage for the maquette alone took about 50 hours; the full-size enlargement
and moulds required three months. The bronze foundry – Artcast Inc of Georgetown, ON -required another three months to cast and finish the bronze statue. An epoxy copy of the
maquette sold for $400 in October 2001; a bronze copy of the maquette sold in May 1995 for
$1,285.
42.
"JUNO" 1995. Epoxy, Ltd Edit of 50, H29 cm X W40 cm X D30 cm. Original, Copy
#01/50.
This work depicts the D-Day Landings on Juno Beach (6 June,
1944) with a Canadian Infantryman rushing ashore knee-deep in
breaking waves as he passes one of the German steel defensive
obstacles (nicknamed by the Allies as "Rommel's Asparagus") intended
to damage landing craft.
Creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; copies require about 10 hours of
labour. In 1998, a copy sold for $850.
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- 22 43.
"SAILOR" 1995 (Bust). Bronze bust, life-size, Ltd Edit of 50. 65cm High. Original,
Copy #01/50.
This bust was derived from my bronze life-size statue of a WWII
Canadian Sailor for the RCN Association's "NAVAL SHIP'S MEMORIAL
MONUMENT" unveiled at Spencer-Smith Park in Burlington, Ont by the
Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Ontario on 14 May 1995. While the
original full-size statue depicted a Sailor saluting his lost shipmates, it would
have been awkward reproducing the upper part of that statue as a Bust with its
right arm in the position of the salute. It was aesthetically better to remove both
arms in a manner producing a more classic Bust profile.
On the Sailor's cap is seen a Tally band with the letters "H.M.C.S." (His Majesty's
Canadian Ship) since the actual name of a ship was NOT shown on Tally bands during WWII
(for security reasons). In addition, the bow in the Tally band is seen worn over the Sailor's left
eye as was the preference affected by Canadian Naval Reservists; Regular Navy wore this bow
closer to the left ear.
Three copies of the bronze bust have been made: one for the Artist's collection and two
ordered by the father of the young Navy cadet who served as the model for the monument's full
size statue. The creative stage for the bronze bust was only about 30 hours since it involved
modifying the moulds which served to cast the full statue. A copy of this bronze bust sold in
October 2001 for $4,200.
44.
#01.
"CANADIAN JUMPER" 1996. Epoxy, Numbered Edit, 20cm high. Original, Copy
Replaces the (1974) Jumper that ceased to be available after the
disbandment of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. Since 3 PPCLI, 3RCR and
3R22eR are now each assigned one Jump company, I made a new paratrooper
statuette in 1996. He is seen to wear the new Kevlar helmet, C-7 rifle (attached to
the slung snowshoes) and parachute rigging. Whereas the earlier Jumper was
identical for each member of the Airborne Regiment, the new version differs in
that the statuette has a distinct hat badge placed on the top surface of its base
(between the Paratrooper's feet); all badges for various unit Jump positions are
available: e.g. PPCLI, RCR, R22eR, Cdn Parachute Centre, Arty, CME, Log, etc.
There is also available the badge of the former Canadian Airborne Regiment where an entitled
member wishes that badge on his copy of the new Jumper. A total of 120 "Canadian Jumper"
1996 statuettes have been sold to date.
This statuette falls into the same peculiar category as the 1974 version of the Jumper –
that a fine art object is seldom inexpensive. At the time of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, the
regiment wanted several mementos for the exclusive use of their paratroopers. Every member
was to receive a small 'airborne coin' or 'medallion' to be carried at all times lest the member be
challenged to produce it and, if unable to do so, had to buy a round of drinks, etc. The Airborne
Regiment intended the "Jumper" 1974 statuette as a farewell keepsake for every member who
had served in the Regiment. As a result, demand for the Jumper was not driven by a desire to
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- 23 acquire a Work of Art but rather as a reminder of service in the Regiment. The subtle effect of
this was that the Regiment wanted a jumper figure but did not want to pay a fair price for this
hand-made statuette. Cheaper 'jumper' statuettes were available in the USA for American jump
units but mass-produced statuettes – like trophy shop golf figurines – can sell for less because the
details of the original are kept as simple as possible to make castings easier.
The amount of fine details on my statuettes meant five hours of labour for me to cast and
finish each copy. As a result, I could not recover my costs and after providing the first 150
copies of the 1974 Jumper, I authorized the Regiment to get a trophy company to make
reproductions. The quality of work by that company gradually slipped so badly that I came to
regret authorizing those reproductions. I reached a point where I was about to ask the Regiment
to withdraw my name from the 1974 statuette. The issue, unfortunately, was resolved by the fate
of the Airborne Regiment in 1995. Although there are jump companies in each of the Light
Infantry battalions of the three Regular Force infantry regiments -- and no doubt they still
acquire some sort of jumper statuette and 'coins' for their paratroopers -- I must assume they have
sources that do not hand-cast them. The lesson for me is that objects that make inexpensive
"mementos" are seldom Works of Art. Casting copies of this statuette requires five hours of
labour. A copy was sold in September 2007 for $200.
45.
"WHAT PRICE, VICTORY?" 1996.
Original, copy #01/50.
Epoxy, Limited Edit of 50, 20cm high.
Depicts a Canadian Infantry sergeant in France shortly after the D-Day
landings. He is down on one knee holding on to his Lee-Enfield .303 cal rifle, his
head is bowed and tears are streaming down his cheeks. While higher
Headquarters count casualties in bulk numbers, the loss of a mate is far more
personal at the platoon level. This sergeant is grieving the loss of his latest
platoon member killed in action. As I review the text describing this statuette, it
is January 2010 and Canadian Forces have been engaged in combat operations in
the Kandahar region of Afghanistan for several years now. At this time, 136 members have been
killed in that mission and to those who may think that grown men don't cry, I simply say,
"Remember the military pallbearers carrying the flag-draped coffin of their comrade to the
awaiting Hercules aircraft in the all too frequent "Ramp Ceremony". They, along with quite a
few members lining the route of the coffin, often shed tears.
Creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; copies require about eight hours of
labour. A copy sold in December 2001 for $400.
46.
"WHO GOES THERE!" 1996. Epoxy, Limited Edit of 50, 28cm high. Original, copy
#01/50.
A WW II infantryman of 3rd Canadian Infantry Division that landed on
JUNO Beach. Members of that division were issued with a different version of
the standard British steel helmet (with a raised front brim) and high leather boots
instead of combining low ankle boots with putties or canvas gaiters. In this pose,
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- 24 the soldier is wearing a poncho and is on sentry duty in the rain; his Lee-Enfield rifle is "at the
ready" as he challenges someone approaching his position.
Creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour; copies require about six hours of
labour. A copy sold in 2006 for $500.
47.
#01.
"KNEELING GUNNER" 1997. Epoxy, Numbered Edit, 19cm high. Original, Copy
An up-to-date and smaller version of the original 1970 statue. This
version has become the official retirement gift for Royal Canadian Field Artillery
members. 265 copies of this version have been sold to date.
Creative stage about 80 hours; copies require about five hours. Bulk
orders at $275 per copy. Sold individually, the price is $400.
48.
"INFANTRYMAN" 1997.
#AP01.
Epoxy, Numbered Edit, 26cm high.
Original, Copy
One of my earliest sculptures – "INFANTRYMAN" 1969 – was rather
large (and thus expensive to cast) plus the fact that after many years, the
statuette's weapon, combat uniform and equipment had become quite out-of-date.
I therefore decided that it was time to create a more current Infantry statuette and
make it more affordable. "INFANTRYMAN" 1997 depicts a soldier standing
with C-7 rifle-and-scope held 'at the ready'. He has the Kevlar helmet and
current (late 1990s) webbing equipment. Many copies have been ordered throughout the Regular
and Reserve units of the Land Forces.
Creative stage about 80 hours of labour; copies require about 5 hours of labour. Copy
sold in April 2007 for $400.
49.
"MINE CLEARANCE" 1998. Epoxy, Numbered Edit, 19cm high. Original, Copy
#01.
A Canadian Combat Engineer on UN deployment in Croatia engaged
in mine clearance operations. Having detected and carefully exposed an antitank mine, this Sapper is probing the ground to the sides and back of that
mine (the area leading up to the mine has been systematically cleared by the
Sapper in his advance through the mine field) to see if there are any antipersonnel mines -- often laid near anti-tank mines to deter or impede mine clearance personnel.
In July 2001, a copy was ordered by a new high school in Courtney, B.C named after Cpl
Mark R. Isfeld RCE who was killed in Bosnia while clearing a minefield. Thirty-five copies of
this work have been cast to date.
Creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour; copies require about six hours. In May
2008 a copy sold for $550.
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- 25 50.
"PAARDEBERG" 1998. Epoxy, Numbered Edit, 25cm high. Original, Copy #01.
Inspired by the painting "Dawn of Majuba" by Woodville (original painting
owned by RCMI Toronto), this figure shows a member of 2RCR raising his Pith
helmet in a victory salute at the battle of Paardeberg during the Boer War (South
Africa) in 1900. This statuette was created at the request of the (then)
Commanding Officer of 3RCR in Petawawa. While not officially commissioned
by the RCR, the sculptor has offered copies of this work to members of that
Regiment in connection with the Paardeberg Centennial in the Year 2000. Nine
copies cast to date and this statuette remains available. My use of the term
'Original' for my Prototype is narrower than normal because the pose was based on Woodville's
painting (by permission of RCMI Toronto); nevertheless, my rendition in sculptural form is
original – as a sculpture – and requires to be protected against unauthorized reproduction of my
work.
The creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour; copies require about six hours of
labour. In January 2000, a copy sold for $295.
51.
"RAPPEL" 1998. Epoxy, Limited Edition of 50, 23cm high. Original, Copy #01/50.
A Canadian soldier rappelling. Two versions in this Edition exist: one
showing the soldier rappelling down an outer wall of a building; the second version
has this same soldier on an oak plaque instead of the building wall. The pose I
selected for this Work presented a huge challenge from a sculpting point-of-view:
how to support the weight of the clay in such a pose during the actual sculpting phase.
I found a way to succeed but even the epoxy casting presents a problem: part of the
sculpture's weight is supported by the rappelling rope (also soaked in epoxy) but packing this
sculpture for shipment to a client is quite difficult to avoid damage. Nevertheless, if safety
mounted on a wall, I am satisfied that it really is a striking success.
The creative stage of this sculpture required more time than usual given the complex
'rappel' pose; labour was thus about 100 hours. Likewise, copies require about 12 hours of
labour given the care needed to suspend the figure by rope in the rappel position. None has been
sold to date but the current price for a copy is set at $595.
52.
"SGT E.J. HOLLAND, VC" 1999. Epoxy or Bronze, Numbered Edit, 26cm high.
Original, Copy #AP1.
One of the three figures of the "Leliefontein" sculptural grouping. Sgt
Holland is depicted saving his .303 cal Colt MG that had jammed as the Boers
advanced within a few hundred yards of his rearguard position. He burned his
hands freeing the MG from its carriage but he succeeded in mounting a horse and
carrying the MG back to the next secured RCD rearguard position in this battle.
While part of the larger ensemble, this figure involved about 80 hours of labour; copies
require about five hours of labour. A copy sold in January 2000 for $300.
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- 26 53.
"LT R.E.W. TURNER, VC" 1999. Epoxy or Bronze, Numbered Edit, 28cm high.
Original, Copy #AP1.
One of the three figures of the "Leliefontein" sculptural grouping. Lt
Turner continued leading his Troop in the RCD Rearguard action despite a
scalp wound and a broken left arm hit by a Boer bullet. The Sculptor suggests
these wounds by showing Lt Turner's Stetson lying on the ground and by
having his broken arm supported in the strap of his haversack.
Creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour as part of the ensemble
sculptural grouping; copies of this figure require about six hours of labour. In
February 2000, a copy sold for $295.
54.
"LT H.Z.C. COCKBURN, VC 1999. Epoxy or Bronze, Numbered Edit, 23cm high.
Original, Copy #AP1.
One of the three figures of the "Leliefontein" sculptural grouping. Lt
Cockburn is shown as turning his head and cupping his mouth as he shouts orders
to his Troop during the RCD's Rearguard action against the Boer assault forces.
Creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour as part of the ensemble
sculptural grouping. Copies of this figure require about six hours of labour. In
April 1990, a copy sold for $295.
55.
"AIR DEFENCE GUNNER" 1999. Epoxy, Numbered Edition, 26cm high. Original,
Copy #01.
Created at the request of the Regimental Major, Royal Canadian Artillery.
This depicts an Air Defence Gunner holding a seven round, 35mm ammunition
clip he is about to load into the rack of the twin barrel Low Level Air Defence
gun mount.
This statuette is the official retirement gift to Royal Canadian Artillery
(Air Defence) members. To date, 48 copies have been sold. Creative stage
involved about 80 hours of labour; copies require about 8 hours of labour. Current price is $275
per copy for a bulk order.
56.
"COMBAT DIVER" Bas-relief 2000. Numbered Edit, epoxy, 23 cm L X 18.5 cm W X
7 cm H. Original, Copy #01.
Each combat engineer regiment has a team of scuba
divers for special missions such as underwater obstacle
clearance or setting out such obstacles, reconnaissance sorties
to inspect hostile defenses on the banks of rivers, assess nearby
terrain as it might affect vehicle crossings and exits, river fording areas, etc. Similar roles may
be involved in advance of an invasion force landing on beaches, etc. Here, I depict a Combat
Diver as he emerges near a riverbank with his C-8 assault rifle at the ready (usually divers work
in pairs but only one is depicted here). To reinforce the visual clues to this setting, I included
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- 27 several Water Lilly pads on the surface just to his front. The scuba equipment shown was out-ofdate and regiments were trying to acquire modern and expensive 'rebreather' equipment which
eliminates the trail of air bubbles rising to the surface which betray the presence of an
underwater diver. The latter equipment is the standard in Special Forces units.
Although a small sculpture, the complex models needed for the rifle and the air tanks
valves, etc still required about 80 hours of labour for the creative stage. Copies require about 8
hours of labour. Only three copies sold to date. In February 2002 a copy sold for $325.
57.
"STEPPING OUT" Maquette 2000. 13 in high epoxy, Numbered Edit. Original,
Copy #01.
This statuette was the Maquette of the 6'4" high bronze I created in 2001 for the
Canadian Women's Army Corps Memorial Monument unveiled by the Honourable
Hillery Weston, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario on 5 May 2001 at the Armoury in
Kitchener, Ont – the site on which the basic training camp for the
C.W.A.C. existed in WW II. Some 20,000 members of that Corps
trained in this location.
When first approached by the C.W.A.C. Monument Committee to
provide my Artist's Concept, I had proposed showing a member of the
C.W.A.C. dressed in Battle Dress tunic with a Haversack and steel helmet slung
off her left shoulder as she might have looked walking out in wartime London
(U.K.). The Monument Committee preferred a visual context that would place
the member in wartime Kitchener since only 10% of C.W.A.C. members served
outside of Canada in WW II. I therefore had the member dressed in "walking
out" dress uniform with canvas purse slung on her left shoulder. The
Committee approved this new design.
The crowd of 1,500 C.W.A.C. veterans and family members were very pleased with the
bronze statue on 5 May 2001. This larger-than-life-size bronze commission was $47,000 in
2000/2001. It was cast by Artcast Inc foundry of Georgetown, ON.
The creative stage for the maquette involved about 60 hours of labour; copies require
about five hours. In June 2004, a copy sold for $400. To date, 24 copies of the epoxy Maquette
have been sold.
58.
"UNKNOWN SOLDIER" 2000. Epoxy, Limited Edition of 50, 13.5 in X 6.5 in X 8 in.
Original, Copy "HS".
Commissioned by the Royal Canadian Legion for presentation to selected VIPs whose
support assured the success of the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" project (situated now at the
front of the National War Memorial Monument in Ottawa). I had initially been asked to make a
miniature version of the actual tomb design but as an Artist, I disliked copying someone else's
original design (even though the Legion had permission of the Copyright Holder); I convinced
the Legion to let me come up with an original design of my own which would capture the idea of
honouring an unknown soldier but do so without copying the actual Tomb's design. My concept
was to depict a WW I battlefield 'temporary' grave (an earth mound surrounded by large stones at
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- 28 its edge) with a wood cross at the head of the mound bearing the inscription: "Known only unto
God". A WWI Canadian Soldier is seen kneeling at the foot of the grave, his head bowed in
prayer, his helmet held in his right hand and supporting himself with his rifle in his left hand.
Many favourable comments received from the VIPs. I am particularly pleased that one of the 50
recipients was Mr. Maurice Joanisse, the Dominion Sculptor of Canada (the designer of the
actual Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the head of the team of granite sculptors for
Parliament). I retained the Original numbered "HS" (Hors Série) for my collection.
The creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour; copies required about seven hours
of labour. The commission fee to create this work and produce fifty copies, was $12,500 in
2002.
In 2005, I was contacted by a representative of the City of Surrey, BC, which was about
to re-locate an old World War I cairn war memorial monument within the cemetery. I was
informed that the local Royal Canadian Legion Branch had shown them a copy of my
"UNKNOWN SOLDIER" 2002 sculpture and requested that instead of simply moving the old
cairn to a new location, a bronze statue (based on my design) be added to the monument. While
I was asked to submit a cost quotation for creating this large bronze of my own statuette, the
City's representative came back later to tell me that another local artist and foundry submitted a
lower bid and that they would go with that bid. I pointed out that my original design at issue
here was copyright protected but that for a reasonable fee, I was willing to provide the City with
a written authorization to have the work done by the local artist provided that the finished bronze
bore my name as the original artist. This was agreed and the revised war memorial now bears a
large replica bronze figure based on my original design.
59.
"THIS WAY!" 2001. Epoxy, Numbered Edition, 25 cm W X 21 cm D X 23 cm H.
Original, Copy #01.
In the summer of 2001 I decided to create a sculpture to
honour the World War II "1st Canadian Parachute Battalion" which
was the first Canadian operational parachute unit. That unit was
placed under command of the British 6th Airborne Division and
distinguished itself in two major operational para drops and the
fighting that followed. A telling story which arose at a veterans day
event organized by the Canadian Airborne Regiment in the 1980s
recounts that a young paratrooper of the Airborne Regiment was proud of the large number of
parachute drops he was accumulating with this unit and innocently asked a crusty old 1st Can
Para veteran how many jumps he had made. Pausing for a moment while he sipped his beer, the
old veteran replied: "Lets see, aside from a few training jumps, there was the D-Day drop into
Normandy, a bit of ground fighting in the following months and our last jump -- the Rhine River
drop". The veteran continued with his beer as the young jumper sat in awe of his guest.
The pose I decided upon in the context of the Normandy Drop, shows a member of 1st
Can Para on one knee on a cobblestone road, looking back over his right shoulder and signaling
other members to follow him. Since no experienced soldier would pause on an open road, I ask
the viewer to imagine that a near-by vehicle wreck (not included, of course) provides the
paratrooper with cover from the direction of the enemy. Furthermore, we assume he has already
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- 29 sighted a protected spot for his next tactical bound to pursue the assault. This paratrooper's kit
includes the unique items of uniform identification that distinguished Canadians from the British
paratroopers: Cdn Jump Wings on his chest and a small ribbon on the epaulettes. Eleven copies
sold to date.
Creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; copies require about eight hours of
labour. In July 2006, a copy sold for $495.
60.
"COVERING FIRE" 2002. Two epoxy versions: Large 42.5 cm tall, and small 20 cm
tall. Numbered Reserved Edition. Original (large version), Copy #AP01.
The Honorary Colonel of the Royal Canadian Regiment wanted to
initiate a Leadership Award for the Regiment. He asked me to submit a design
proposal and cost estimate. My Artist's Concept proposed an Infantry Section
Commander – a sergeant – moving forward with his rifle held in his left hand at
his chest level, while pointing to his MG crew where he wanted them to go-toground to provide covering fire for the section assault. The commission
required a large version to be mounted on a large wood base upon which the
subsequent annual winner's name would be affixed. A second, half-size version would be
presented to each annual winner for his/her retention. The selection jury for this new Award
consists of the RSMs of the Regiment's three battalions. As usual, I retained the originals of both
versions for my own collection.
Creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour for each of the two versions. Copies of
the smaller version require about five hours of labour. The commission fee for the two versions
was $6,000 in 2002. In March 2006, a copy of the small version sold for $350.
61.
"WARCO" 2002. Epoxy, 35.5 cm high, Numbered Edition – The Munro Media Award.
Original, Copy #AP01.
The Conference of Defence Associations, in concert with The Canadian
Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, wanted to introduce an annual award for a
Canadian journalist deemed to have made an extraordinary contribution to
coverage of national defence and security issues. In World War II, Canadian 'war
correspondents' (WARCOs) were required to wear a military uniform with a
shoulder title indicating that they were war correspondents; this was necessary to
provide them with Geneva Conventions protection in the event of capture on the
battlefield. Of those Canadian journalists who served in that war, the most impressive one was
Ross Munro (whom a senior American journalist rated as the best Allied war correspondent).
Munro accompanied Canadians ashore at five opposed landings: Dieppe, Sicily, Italy, the
Normandy Invasion and the crossing of the Rhine.
This media award is presented every fall during the annual Vimy Award Dinner
organized by the CDA.
The creative stage for this particular work was unusual since it had to closely resemble
Ross Munro (in which I succeeded according to his widow who received a copy at the Vimy
Award Dinner in 2002). Creative stage labour was about 80 hours; copies require about 8 hours
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- 30 of labour. In November 2002, a copy was sold for $650 – which remains the current price in
2010.
62.
"OF SUCH AS THESE" Bas-relief 2003. Epoxy bas-relief, 12 in X 20 in, Numbered
Edition. Original, Copy #AP01.
During the Year of the Veteran, the Conference of
Defence Associations Institute commissioned me to propose
a sculpture they could present to the National Secretariat of
the Royal Canadian Legion in Ottawa. I proposed a basrelief grouping a number of World War II figures of men and
women of the army, navy and air force plus a merchant
seaman. To bridge the Past with the Present and the Future, I
chose the title "OF SUCH AS THESE" – "DE TELS
PRÉDÉCESSEURS" to signify the inheritance and continuity our present-day soldiers derive
from our warrior roots while, at the same time, highlighting veterans of an earlier war. That basrelief was framed and now hangs on the wall of the National Secretariat's Boardroom in Kanata,
Ontario. I have retained the original in my collection.
The commission fee for this small bas-relief was $2,000 in 2003. Creative stage involved
about 100 hours of labour; casting a copy required about five hours of labour. If additional
copies are ordered by the CDAI, the current price is $650.
63.
"MP" 2004. Epoxy, Numbered Edition, 26 cm high. Original, Copy #01.
Few Military Police members could afford copies of the "Pointsman" 1967
as the size of that statuette required a large volume of epoxy. As with several other
early works, details of uniforms, weapons, etc were by now way out-of-date and
while the Pointsman pose struck a chord with members, something new was
needed. The viewer will immediately recognize that "MP" 2004 was not a 'new'
artistic concept but an adaptation of my existing statuette – "Infantryman" 1997. I
simply sculpted a pair of goggles on the helmet and added an MP armband on the
left upper arm of the figure. In addition, I added a miniature MP Branch hat badge on the base of
the statuette. While I had to remake a separate set of Silicone Rubber casting moulds for this
modified statuette, the adaptation of an earlier work to a different military specialty allows me to
keep the price of this work within the means of MP members.
Creative stage only required about fifty hours of labour with most of that time required to
re-make a production mould for this version. Copies require about five hours. In May 2005, a
copy sold for $375.
64.
"WARRIOR" 2005. Epoxy, 43 cm high, Restricted Edition. Original,
Copy #AP01.
In 2004 when the Canadian Forces ISAF contingent was moved to the
Kandahar region of Afghanistan, the role changed to combat operations on a
larger scale. After many years of mixed "Peacekeeping" operations (albeit, some
with combat operations to impose "peace" of sorts), this turning point marked the
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- 31 first real return to large-scale combat operations for the Canadian Forces since the Korean War.
Morale of the Canadian Forces picked up tremendously because they now had a chance to put
into effect the war-fighting skills for which armed forces exist at the call of our government in
times of crisis. The Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) wanted to mark this return of
the Forces to combat operations by asking me to propose an Artist's Concept for a "Warrior"
sculpture the CDA could present to the CDS on behalf of the Canadian Forces.
I immediately responded that if a single military figure was to capture the idea of a
Canadian military 'warrior', then one particular type of warrior jumped to my mind: an Assaulter
of the JTF2 special forces unit in that unit's Out-of-Area role. I asked for the CDA to obtain
permission from the CDS, Gen Rick Hillier, for me to use a JTF2 Assaulter as the model for this
project. Permission was granted in two days and I was escorted into that ultra-secretive unit
where, unlike the TV comedy series "CHEERS" (Where Everybody Knows Your Name), only
first names are used in the presence of outsiders. I took a series of photographs of an Assaulter
named "Jeff" in different combat poses and recommended a pose to the CDA where Jeff is
ready to fire a Sig-Sauer 9 mm automatic pistol. His dress and equipment is per the Afghanistan
theatre of operations but unique to members of this elite unit, both his firearms have tactical
lights attached and his C-8 assault rifle has a silencer. The CDA approved of my concept and
"WARRIOR" 2005 was completed in time for presentation to the CDS at the annual CDA Mess
Dinner in February 2006. This commission fee was $5,000 in January 2006.
I retained the original copy of this sculpture and one copy is at JTF2. In 2007, the CO
JTF2 requested that one more copy of this CDA-commissioned sculpture be permitted so that
JTF2 could present a copy to an allied army's special forces unit. The CDA authorized the extra
copy. The copy CDA presented to the Canadian Forces is on permanent display in the
Concourse of National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.
Creative stage required about 150 hours of labour; copies required about 12 hours of
labour. In September 2007, the copy made was sold for $950.
65.
"ON VIMY RIDGE" 2006. Epoxy and Bronze versions, Numbered Edition, 8 inches
high. Original (epoxy), Copy #AP1.
A Kingston (Ontario) Reserve unit, the Princess of Wales' Own Regiment
has amongst its Battle Honours, the battle of Vimy ridge. In 2006, I was
commissioned to create a small sculpture to depict that key battle in the PWOR's
past. I posed a soldier in World War I kit with his helmet held by his right side
as he hangs his head in a moment of fatigue mixed with grief and relief that he
made it to the ridge. He is seen standing on 'duck boards' such as were set down
in all the trenches of that war. In addition, a small replica of the unit hat badge is
placed on the round base of that statuette.
Creative stage involved about 80 hours of labour; copies require about six hours of
labour. In May 2006, a bronze copy sold for $1,550. In September 2007, an epoxy copy sold for
$375.
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The Gauthier Collection
- 32 66.
"FER DE LANCE" 2007.
Original, Copy #01.
Epoxy, 24 cm high, Numbered Edition.
At the 2005 photo session at JTF2, I had taken three different sets of
photos of the Assaulter: two in the kit of the unit's 'out-of-area' role and one of its
'in-area' role. In 2007, I decided to create a new sculpture of a combat soldier
using the unused set of photos I had taken in the second pose. That pose depicts
an Assaulter of JTF2 with the C-8 assault rifle in the standing firing position. He
still has his Sig-Sauer 9 mm automatic pistol but it is holstered on his right hip.
As with "Warrior" 2005, the general setting and context for this new sculpture is
Afghanistan combat operations. The new Work is titled "Fer de Lance" 2007 –
"The Tip of the Spear". It is intended to honour past, present and future members of Canada's
special forces such as 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, 1st Canada-USA Special Service Force,
the Canadian Airborne Regiment, and units of today's Special Operations Forces Command.
Creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; copies require about 12 hours of
labour. In July 2008, a copy sold for $450.
67.
"BIRCHALL LEADERSHIP AWARD" 2007. Epoxy bas-relief 11 inches X 15
inches, Reserved Numbered Edition. Original, Copy #AP01.
The Calgary Branch of the RMC Club of Canada initiated a
Birchall Leadership Award to recognize each year some Canadian
individual for his/her outstanding work in a community. This leadership
award honours the memory of the (Late) Air Commodore Leonard J.
Birchall, OBE, DFC, CM, OONT, CD – nicknamed by Winston
Churchill as "The Saviour of Ceylon". A graduate of RMC and Queens
University, Birchall joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. In 1942, he was a
Squadron Leader flying Catalina PBY amphibious aircraft out of Ceylon. In April 1942, Sqn
Ldr Birchall was flying a long-range reconnaissance in search of the Japanese invasion fleet.
Although getting short on fuel, he pressed on a bit further and then spotted the invasion fleet. He
managed to have his radio operator send off the sighting report before the Japanese anti-aircraft
fire brought his aircraft down. He and other surviving members of his crew were interrogated
aboard ship but they pretended that they had not had time to send off a radio report before being
hit. As a senior POW, Birchall spent 3 ½ years in a Japanese POW camp displaying great
courage and leadership looking after his fellow POWs.
In the fall of 2007, I was commissioned by the Calgary Branch of the RMC Club to
create a portrait bas-relief sculpture of Birchall based on a 1942 photo of this outstanding
Canadian in the cockpit of his Catalina. Members of Birchall's family donated the cost of the
new Work of Art but the Calgary Branch takes responsibility for the purchase of subsequent
copies for their annual presentation of the award. The commission fee was $6,200.
Creative stage involved about 100 hours of labour; copies require about 12 hours of
labour. In 2008, the price was $550 per copy.
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The Gauthier Collection