Beausejour's Last Grain Elevator

The Beausejour Beautification Committee asked me to make a scale model of the town's last grain elevator this spring, and I got busy doing some research into things. The last of three elevators is to be torn down this summer, and I was fortunate to be able to take some photos and measurements in order to produce a decent model. A trip to the library provided some older photos, and I set off to produce a model that would look like the elevator has back in the 1950's. Along the way, I spoke to a number of people about the project, and Art Linke was especially helpful in providing some of the details that you can't find in books or photos. The model was a lot of work, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Once a significant piece of our local history is lost, we have to find ways to share that history with the younger generations, and I was honoured to be a part of that important process...

New mural

My son Simon who is 7, is constantly drawing up a storm, and has a passion for tigers. He recently discovered some Calvin & Hobbes books, and ever since that time, it has been a clear cut case of life imitating art. He saved up his allowance and bought his own stuffed tiger, and the two are inseparable. It was no surprise when he approached me about painting a mural in his room, of his favourite thing...The mural was a fair bit of work, and the artist behind Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson, was quite talented with pen and ink as well as watercolours. I admire Watterson, who refused to sell out-and this is why you don't see any Calvin & Hobbes products out there. In doing so, he has kept the characters intact, and each of us has their own unique take on what we read when we open up one of his books...