‘Mac' inspired sculptor returns for exhibit
by Kayleigh Osness
Wednesday March 19, 2008
In his latest art show, sculptor Peter Sawatzky returns to Alberta to exhibit his bronze wildlife sculptures, showcasing over 30 bronze pieces at Loch Gallery in Calgary.
Sawatzky is based in Glenboro, Manitoba and has been sculpting wildlife in bronze for over two decades.
Sawatzky started out as a wood carver, crafting delicate representations of birds for 15 years before turning his attention solely to creating bronze sculpture in 1991.
The late Cochrane artist Malcolm ‘Mac' MacKenzie (1933-2002) first suggested Sawatzky take up bronze casting as an alternative to the more tedious, wood carving medium.
Inspired by MacKenzie's work, Sawatzky packed up his carving tools and never looked back. To date, he has completed 10 civic commissions of wildlife subjects in Manitoba.
The artist is optimistic about showing his work in Alberta once again.
"Mac MacKenzie encouraged me to get into sculpture and my first bronze was a grey owl in 1991. I have always felt well-received in the West where, overall, people tend to be more nature-orientated," said Sawatzky, whose pieces range in scale from six inches to 29 feet.
It takes three weeks to two months to complete a small piece, whereas large pieces need two to three years to produce in their entirety.
Sawatzky learned the investment mold process of bronze casting from MacKenzie, which is also referred to as the lost-wax process.
After Sawatzky graduated from The Banff School of Fine Arts and Red River College, he began entering bird-carving competitions in the U.S. and Canada, while illustrating a series of guides to feeding winter birds. He has been a full-time artist since 1976.
Ian Loch, the director of Loch Gallery in Calgary, sees Sawatzky's bronzes as unique in the way he captures the humanity of animals.
"Peter was first exposed to bronze sculpture through MacKenzie's foundry in Cochrane and had success at MacKenzie Art Gallery throughout the 1980's as one of Canada's leading wildlife artists," Loch said.
"Since that time, he has evolved into a world-class wildlife sculptor."
Loch, who expects big results for the artist in Alberta, believes Sawatzky is very capable of doing large-scale sculpture for the Province of Alberta.
Judy MacKenzie-West, owner of the MacKenzie Art Gallery and friend of Sawatzky's for over 20 years, proclaimed this show at Loch Gallery fantastic and raved about the success of Sawatzky's sell-out, solo-exhibitions for her gallery in 1983, 1987, 1989 and 1992.
His wood carvings were so popular, people were lined up outside the door to claim their favourite piece. Judy and her late-husband Mac first saw Sawatzky's work in Chilliwack, B.C.
"We were completely taken aback by the quality of Peter's work and invited him to show at our gallery in Cochrane," MacKenzie-West said.
It was then that the artist took part in a historic group show featuring, Rick de Grandmaison, Richard Freeman and Willy Zack among others.
"There aren't too many sculptors who do heroic pieces anymore," said MacKenzie-West.
"His forte is animals and his name is well-known around here. Peter has really developed into a good bronze sculptor since the time he first visited Mac's foundry."
Life-size sculptures featured in this show include: a pack of wolves, a pair of cheetahs and penguins and a blue heron. Smaller pieces such as owls, bears, rams, otters, blue jays and moose are also displayed for sale.
For more information, contact the Loch Gallery at: (403) 209-8542 or visit www.lochgallery.com.
