About Canada

At About Canada, Banff one of the neat things about running the store / gallery is meeting the artist. This month we were privilged to have Leo Arcand, a well known First Nation carver, call by to see if we would like to represent his work.

Of course we jumped at the chance. Leo is a Woodland Cree sculptor from the Alexander First Nations reserve in Northern Alberta. He works mainly in soapstone, drawing his inspiration from a deep spirituality and keen belief that there must be a balance in all things.

It was a pleasure to meet him and to take on his work.

The initial pieces that we have taken are:

Grandmother Bear

Protecting Spirit

Thundering Eagle

My favourite is the Protecting Spirit, which is yours?.

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At About Canada, Banff we have taken on the work of Carol Bortenlanger in the form of a “Western Legends Series” that she has created for us.

The Western Legends Series is a collection of limited edition prints of graphite drawings from Carol Bortenlanger. These depict three legends of the Alberta west.

Namely:

Chief Crowfoot, who was a chief of the Siksika First Nation in the late 1880’s. He was a fierce warrior but tried to obtain peace instead of warfare. When the North West Mounted Police came west to keep order he negotiated for peace with the other chiefs then signed Treaty 7 with Colonel Macleod in 1877.

Bruno Engler, who came to the Rockies from Switzerland in 1939 as a mountain guide and photographer and became a legend in his mountain career. He taught mountain warfare to the Canadian army, worked as a ski instructor, mountain guide, actor photographer and was one of the Canadian Rockies’ great story tellers and enduring characters.

Sam Livingstone, who was a very colourful pioneer in the 1880’s and has been called ‘Calgary’s first citizen’, as he was one of the first to build a house in the Calgary area. He is famous for his involvement in the Gold Rush, buffalo hunting, fur trading, bringing new ideas to farming and ranching and was the largest cattle dealer at the time.

Originally from Saskatchewan, Carol now resides in Calgary. She showcases our heritage through portraits of western and mountain legends, as well as rodeo themes, using primarily graphite and charcoal. Carol is a member of the Canadian Institute of Portrait Artists and has been asked to exhibit at the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Calgary Stampede Western Art Gallery / Art Auction.

Who would you add as a Western legend?

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Living in such a beautiful place as Banff, in Banff National Park, you just have to take advantage of your blessings.

We have been doing that, hence the lack of posts. On Saturday my wife andI decided to try out the new Legacy Trail, a cycle route linking Banff and Canmore. Its about 25 kilometers and a fairly easy ride (except forthe constant prevailing headwind, in both directions!). We did the trail, which is mostly complete now, in just over an hour.

We had acouple of beers and lunch in Canmore at The Wood Restaurant & Lounge, at the corner of Main Street and 8th Avenue. It was good torelax the legs, taking in the breathtaking views from the patio. I highly recommend it.

However I do not recommend 2.5 pints of lovely draught beer if you have to cycle 25k home. For the first 10 my legs felt like lead.

As a form of self flagellation I cycled up Mnt Norquay when I got back to Banff. My wife, who is much more sensible than me, went home and opened a bottle of wine and put a pizza in the oven.

On Monday I went for a cycle up to 2 Jack to join friends who had decided to camp out for a few nights, coming in to town to work during the day. We had a pleasant drink sat overlooking the lake as the sun went down.

On Tuesday we decided to take a canoe trip. What an adventure we had.

We dropped off the bikes at the ‘put in’ at the 1A turn off then headed off up to Castle Junction to put in. We set off and were doing just fine pottering along what seemed like a smoothly flowing river. The overhanging trees gave the river the feel of an elegant grove. The sky was cloudy but it felt it would burn off soon, though it never did – we found later that it was smoke from the BC fires.

However after about 20 minutes it was getting a bit like an amusement park ride. The river narrowed and got faster. It kept dividing and rejoining. At one divide we made the wrong choice. The chanel made a 90 degree turn. We managed to just get around the turn avoiding a fallen tree but found ourselves moving at speed sideways into the roots of another. I tried to stop myself going into the roots with my oar but then my oar got stuck and whacked me in the face causing us to capsize. We were in the fast flowing, glacial melt, cold river and managed to get to the side. The offending oar, my wife’s coat and sandals were missing. Most of our gear was tied into the canoe but in one water filled bag were my camera and phone, both soaked – hence the lack ofphotos.

We carried on and at one point pulled up to see if lunch was edible. It was not, but we quickly moved on when we saw cougar tracks and realised that we might be lunch!.

We came across some pretty rough rapids. There was a sign to get out and portage the canoe. However only one of us had shoes so instead we donned our bike helmets and set off through the rapids, and the next set. It was very exciting!.

The whole trip took 4 hours. We successfully overcame a ducking, navigated rapids and idled down long silent stretches. We had people waving to us from observation posts like we were intrepid explorers on the home run. We had fun. We came across nobody else on the river. Where else in the world can you have such beauty, and such extents of beauty, all to yourself.

To round off the day we cycled the Legacy Trail from the highway 1A to Banff.

On the way I saw a bumper sticker which said “The meaning of life is to live it”. How true I thought.?

          

This weekend in Banff there is to be another Sidewalk Sale. At About Canada, on Banff Avenue we are going to have a meet the artist event with Graham Howard.

Graham specialises in ‘wearable art’ on Canadian made clothing. We can not compete on price with “made in China products” but Graham’s line is innovative, distinctive and Canadian. Which sets it apart.

One the pieces, of which he is most proud, is the Canadian coat of arms design. The full chest design comprises 110,000 stitches and there is a left breast design (for the jackets) which comprises 90,000 stitches.

The Confederation of Canada was created by an Act of the British Parliament and given Royal Assent by Queen Victoria. Each of the four founding provinces (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) was then granted arms by Royal Warrant on May 6, 1868.

The present design of the arms of Canada was drawn by Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, Fraser Herald and was approved by H.M. the Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister of Canada, on July 12, 1994.

The Canadian coat of arms is full of meaning and symbolism.

Some distinct parts to the coat of arms are:-

1.The design of the arms of Canada reflects the royal symbols of Great Britain and France (the three royal lions of England, the royal lion of Scotland, the royal fleurs-de-lis of France and the royal Irish harp of Tara. On the bottom portion of the shield is a sprig of three Canadian maple leaves representative of Canadians of all origins.

2.The first quarter consists of the three gold lions of England walking and shown full face, on a red background. The lion is the oldest device known in heraldry and, as “king of beasts”, was adopted by kings of Leon, Norway and Denmark as their emblem. However, the origin of the three royal lions of England still remains a mystery.

3.The second quarter consists of a red lion rearing on the left hind foot, within a red double border with fleurs-de-lis, on a gold background. The royal lion of Scotland was probably first used by King William, who was known as “the lion”. However it was certainly used by his son, Alexander III, who made Scotland an independent nation.

4.The ribbon contains the motto of the Order of Canada: “Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam”. (They desire a better country).

5.On the royal helmet is the crest. This symbol consists of a wreath or ring of twisted white and red silk on which stands a crowned gold lion holding in its right paw a red maple leaf. The lion is a symbol of valour and courage.

6.The figures that stand on either side of the shield are known in heraldry as “supporters” and are often depicted in a ferocious manner. Canada adopted a lion on the shield’s left holding a gold pointed silver lance from which flies the Royal Union flag, and a unicorn with gold horn, mane and hoofs, on the shield’s right. Around its neck is a gold and chained coronet of crosses and fleurs-de-lis. The unicorn holds a lance flying a banner of royalist France, namely three gold fleurs-de-lis, on a blue background. The two banners represent the two principal founding nations that had established Canada’s most enduring laws and customs.

7.Canada’s motto “A Mari usque ad Mare” (From sea to sea) is based on biblical scripture: “He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth (From Sea to sea) – Psalm 72:8″.

8.At the base of the arms are the floral emblems associated with the Canadian Monarchy: the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the French fleur-de-lis and the Irish shamrock.

9.On top of the “achievement of the arms of Canada” is the imperial crown which is indicative of the presence of a monarch as Canada’s Head of State.

For more information go to the The Canadian Heritage site.

          

We are producing posts that we hope will be of interest.

We carry mostly Canadian made items at About Canada, Banff. In the posts so far I mainly try to highlight some of the items that I think are neat and that people will like to read about.

I enjoy writing the posts but are we getting it right?

Tell us in your comments if there is anything that you would like to see different or if there is something you want to know more about.

          

This summer a very popular line of Canadian jewellery at About Canada, Banff is the work of Gilles Maurel. His technique, which involves oxydizing sterling silver, creates the vibrant yet earthy colours. The result is a very distinctive, unique and stylish line of hand made pieces.

What do you think?

          

We took the time to go for a float down the Bow River, from the falls, this weekend.

Even though it was a long weekend and there were loads of visitors in town it gets peaceful five minutes away from the crowds. We have our own canoes but there are rental facilities in Banff allowing guests staying to enjoy the solitude of following the Bow Rivers Journey.

We have a print at About Canada, Banff from Mark Sharp by that name, which is very popular.

In my opinion, it has a companion print from his collection in Rundle Over The Bow

Mark Sharp is a local artist with a keen following. He is not particularly prolific as his winter and much of his summer is taken up with training the ladies olympic skiers. His fans always eagerly await his latest works.

          

Each of us sees Mount Rundle, over Banff, in different ways. For me there are at least five different ways of depicting Rundle.

There is the straightforward tourist shot made to look good by stunning scenery and fantastic light.

For some local artist Mark Sharp nails it with his various depictions of the area. My particular favourite one of Rundle from Mark is Rundle Mist.

Marks style can be quite abstract. Some people prefer photography. When looking at photographs I prefer black and white photographs and in particular the works of local legend Bruno Engler.

Bruno did thousands of photographs but I really like is one of Banff from Norquay. For me it captures the grandeur and scale of Rundle.

For others a print of a watercolour is what does it, a popular print of Rundle at About Canada, Banff, is the one from local artist Louise Olinger.

Finally there is the sculpture. I have previously mentioned the Raku pottery from an Albertan artist whose Studio is called Mystic Fire.

So of the different ways of viewing Rundle which is your favourite?.

We would love to see your own images.

          

In a press statement BC Wildlife Federation said [it] is pleased to announce that it has chosen Denis Mayer Jr. as its 2011 artist of the year for his painting entitled “Home Sweet Home”. Mayer’s painting was chosen from 33 entries submitted to the annual competition intended to raise the profile of resident BC artists whose work exemplifies the beauty of the fish, wildlife and habitat of British Columbia.

Dennis’ work is a popular line for us, at About Canada, Banff, However we find that more people actually like the Chickadee limited edition prints.

There is no doubting Dennis deserved the accolade but which one do you prefer?

          

I said in an earlier entry that summer in Banff National Park is about hiking and the water.

This weekend I hiked Rundle (two days later and my legs still hurt). Its nearly a nearly 1600m ascent to about 2900m.

I have included a link of some video toward the south and another of some video toward the north, or click on the videos below. The views are breathtaking.

It was a beautiful July day and very much worth the effort.

I have also included a couple of photos:-
A self portrait.

And, for those that have hiked Sulphur, or gone up in the gondola, a picture showing a dwarfed Sulphur Mountain. (Sulphur is one of the mountains that surround the town of Banff)

On a similar theme to my earlier post I thought a couple of the prints by Nathalie Parenteau that we sell in our store, About Canada, Banff, would be appropriate.

She does two relating to mountains. My favourite is Reaching High, which do you like?

Reaching High

Summit

Nathalie’s work is modern and bold and reflects her love of the outdoors, let us know if you like it.

If you come, or have come, to Banff we would love to hear your outdoor adventures and see your photos.