Article Origin
Volume
Issue
Year
Page 26
an upcoming show of sculptures in New York will be the first international exhibition for Alberta Metis artist Brian Clark.
Clark, who originally hails from Fort McMurray, is also an accomplished artist and has completed works in acrylics, plaster, ink and pencil. He sculpts in soapstone, alabaster, wood and metal. "I've been carving for eight years and have been operating from my home since 1986," says Clark, who was an oilfield electrician for 16 years before concentrating on his artwork full-time.
The Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 new York show resulted from an exhibition at La Marchand Mansion in Edmonton earlier this spring. "Deputy premier Jim Horseman attended and invited me to show my work at Alberta House, which has a network of offices all over the world. The show in New York offers good international exposure for me," he says.
Although the Alberta government is hosting the event, Clark is responsible for all his expenses.
Clark draws on his own experiences as inspiration for his work. With a multi-cultural background of Cree, Scottish, French and Irish, he finds the work of aboriginal people influences his designs to a degree. "I admire and have studied the work of Native, Inuit and BC artists," he says.
Even his years in the oil patch have had an impact on how he visualizes one of his current projects. He was close to nature during that time and learned to balance the worksheet with its natural surroundings.
But by far the biggest influence on his work is his two children, aged six and two, who live in BC. "They are who I am working for and what keeps me going. I want a good lifestyle for them. I see them several times a year and keep in close contact with them."
The 39-year-old Clark enjoyed illustrating a Grade 4 textbook entitled "Alberta Metis, People of the Western Prairie" for the St. Albert school boards. "I had to put myself in the frame of mind of eight to 10-year-olds and draw from their perspective," he explains.
Clark resents the time taken by the day-to-day business operation of his enterprise. A computer has eased bookkeeping duties and he now has a representative, who takes care of many of his business arrangements.
Clark has completed projects for such notable clients as Steven Lewis, Kevin Lowe, Ed Broadbent, Dr. David Suzuki and Prince Philip. And Labatt's Breweries commissioned him to do the most valuable player trophy for the world baseball championships held in Edmonton last summer. His largest commission was 40 individual sculptures for the 1989 Stanley Cup champions, the Calgary Flames.
- 1277 views