Fred, Buffalo tribute to four Freds, Freddy Mercury, Freddy Fender, Frederic Chopin and Fred Eaglesmith
My work using antique sheet music (1723-1945) seek to celebrate and repurpose the antique music from my ever increasing archive. My creative endeavours have focused on creating and celebrating language with a particular focus on universal healing languages. As a multi lingual and multi cultural person music was (and still is) a most tangible link to culture for me. I grew up moving every two years and although we were posted far and wide, my parents, an Irish mother from the north of Ireland and a French Canadian military officer with proud Métis-Algonquin heritage, made sure we were given strong musical ties to our mixed heritage. We sang French and Indigenous songs at school while my mother filled our home with Irish, Scottish music and American gospel, soul and songs of struggle, jazz, classical and calypso of course(lots of Paul Robeson, Ella Fitzgerald & Mahalia Jackson!) at home. My music collection has come with me where ever we moved, I cherish it. The wealth of printed music from the last several centuries has become obsolete (mostly) after the advent of radio and recorded music. It was collected and shared with great care and love, from one generation to another, as such the quality of the paper was essential to its longevity. The greatest paper made over the centuries was made for music, which was to pass from hand to hand to hand. I have always yearned to use it in my work as an artist and artisan.
A few years ago I stood at the threshold of moving from a production based life with my natural works- my twig letters- which focus on the universal healing language of nature and the nature of languages, to one of larger sculptural pieces. It would allow me to delve deeper into the dialogue of healing through artistic practice and provide me with new challenges of materials explorations and subject matter. I began with a buffalo, I was born in Manitoba and lived the nomadic life of the military family so when I decided on a sculptural anchor and guide, Buffalo was ideal. A guide to protect me in my journey, for buffalo is about prayer, abundance and healing, and healing in abundance is exactly what I need.
I thought about using a papier-mâché technique, though this was to be made of music paper that I cared for (and others had too) a great deal. To cut up this music was hard so I needed to honour every aspect of each piece of music I used for this work, so then the inventory of paper composition from different eras (linen, cotton, even “mummy paper” from the 1840’s), margins, print size, decorative whimsy and graphic patterns are components of my palette used to create and adorn my sculptures. I think of it as a palette of time.
It is important to me that the journey of discovery in the paper sculptures be not limited to their creative component compositions but that explored other dialogues as well. As such my animal sculptures all have a male and female side (different graphic articulations on either side), light, dark, contrast and movement in places that echo the movement of music and and how it moves us. I now think of the work as papier-mâché/collage/mosaic since it uses all three techniques and because I had never heard of anyone ever doing this before I was and continue to be excited to explore the manyfold permutations and combinations it offers.
The musical dedications need to be powerful anchors for me. I truly love the music of these Freds. All four of these fabulous Freds deserves a sculpture but everything takes so much time I have now allowed myself to group musical tributes!!
Healing through art and sharing that experience is my passion while honouring all the music that has travelled down to us through the years, with love and hope for renewed purpose.
My work using antique sheet music (1723-1945) seek to celebrate and repurpose the antique music from my ever increasing archive. My creative endeavours have focused on creating and celebrating language with a particular focus on universal healing languages. As a multi lingual and multi cultural person music was (and still is) a most tangible link to culture for me. I grew up moving every two years and although we were posted far and wide, my parents, an Irish mother from the north of Ireland and a French Canadian military officer with proud Métis-Algonquin heritage, made sure we were given strong musical ties to our mixed heritage. We sang French and Indigenous songs at school while my mother filled our home with Irish, Scottish music and American gospel, soul and songs of struggle, jazz, classical and calypso of course(lots of Paul Robeson, Ella Fitzgerald & Mahalia Jackson!) at home. My music collection has come with me where ever we moved, I cherish it. The wealth of printed music from the last several centuries has become obsolete (mostly) after the advent of radio and recorded music. It was collected and shared with great care and love, from one generation to another, as such the quality of the paper was essential to its longevity. The greatest paper made over the centuries was made for music, which was to pass from hand to hand to hand. I have always yearned to use it in my work as an artist and artisan.
A few years ago I stood at the threshold of moving from a production based life with my natural works- my twig letters- which focus on the universal healing language of nature and the nature of languages, to one of larger sculptural pieces. It would allow me to delve deeper into the dialogue of healing through artistic practice and provide me with new challenges of materials explorations and subject matter. I began with a buffalo, I was born in Manitoba and lived the nomadic life of the military family so when I decided on a sculptural anchor and guide, Buffalo was ideal. A guide to protect me in my journey, for buffalo is about prayer, abundance and healing, and healing in abundance is exactly what I need.
I thought about using a papier-mâché technique, though this was to be made of music paper that I cared for (and others had too) a great deal. To cut up this music was hard so I needed to honour every aspect of each piece of music I used for this work, so then the inventory of paper composition from different eras (linen, cotton, even “mummy paper” from the 1840’s), margins, print size, decorative whimsy and graphic patterns are components of my palette used to create and adorn my sculptures. I think of it as a palette of time.
It is important to me that the journey of discovery in the paper sculptures be not limited to their creative component compositions but that explored other dialogues as well. As such my animal sculptures all have a male and female side (different graphic articulations on either side), light, dark, contrast and movement in places that echo the movement of music and and how it moves us. I now think of the work as papier-mâché/collage/mosaic since it uses all three techniques and because I had never heard of anyone ever doing this before I was and continue to be excited to explore the manyfold permutations and combinations it offers.
The musical dedications need to be powerful anchors for me. I truly love the music of these Freds. All four of these fabulous Freds deserves a sculpture but everything takes so much time I have now allowed myself to group musical tributes!!
Healing through art and sharing that experience is my passion while honouring all the music that has travelled down to us through the years, with love and hope for renewed purpose.