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Leo Sepa All Sculptures Moose Scraps Number on Map 10 Artist Leo Sepa Material Assemblage of retired vintage farm equipment and other hardware Installation Date June 1, 2001 Learn About the Artist Found objects are at the heart of this sculpture, aptly titled "Moose Scraps", an assemblage of retired vintage farm equipment and other hardware, formed into the shape of one of Canada's largest mammals, the moose. Like many of Leo’s sculptures, the 2.5 meter piece exudes wit and charm. More Photos Previous Next

Doug Stephens All Sculptures Sleep of the Huntress Number on Map 14 Artist Doug Stephens Material Belmont Rose Granite Installation Date August 1, 2004 Learn About the Artist Walking through the forest is, for me, a time of contemplation: of peace and reflection. I see the viewer coming upon a rock, a ruddy rock, fitting for this place but not of this place. It is rough hewn and gnarled. As they approach it becomes evident that they are not alone; that they have happened upon an elegant sleeping woman, lost in the deep world of dreams. She exists in a spiritual realm: out of time and immaterial. All is quiet except for the sounds of the woods. The viewer is held for a moment in silence: hesitant and reflective in the presence of this woman of nature, calmly nestled on her craggy bed. More Photos Previous Next

George Pratt All Sculptures Pan Number on Map 02 Artist George Pratt Material Salt and Pepper Granite Installation Date May 1, 2003 Learn About the Artist One of Pan’s favourite sports was pursuing beautiful wood nymphs that strayed into the high forests where he lived. His strange, coarse goat-like features frightened the nymphs and they would flee in fear of him. From this we got the term “panic”. He was particularly smitten by one nymph whose name was Syrinx but she did not welcome his attentions. One day, being pursued by Pan, she came to the river. Exhausted, she beseeched the water nymphs to protect her. Just as Pan was about to grasp her, she was transformed into one of the many reeds that grew along the river bank. Frustrated, Pan plucked the reeds and fashioned them into the first flute. Since that day, he can be found playing sweet music on the flute which is the embodiment of his unrequited love. We have come to call his instrument the ‘pan-flute’ but more correctly, its name is Syrinx after Pan’s lost nymph. This sculpture was carved out of an 8,700 Kg (19,300 Lbs) block. By the time the sculpture was completed, George had removed more than 3,000 Kg (7,000 Lbs) of stone, an impressive feat considering the work was done outdoors in blackfly season! More Photos Previous Next

John Shaw-Rimmington All Sculptures Unity Gate Number on Map 24 Artist John Shaw-Rimmington Material Locally Quarried Granite Installation Date August 1, 2013 Learn About the Artist The Unity Gate is an archway and curling dry stone walls, made with locally quarried granite. It was designed by John Shaw-Rimmington and constructed by students of the 2013 Dry Stone Structures Course at Fleming College, Haliburton School of the Arts. More Photos Previous Next

John McKinnon All Sculptures Atmo-Sphere Number on Map 23 Artist John McKinnon Material Locally Quarried Granite Installation Date August 1, 2013 Learn About the Artist One of the truly amazing things about Haliburton County is its forests and other quiet places. Inspired by this and the phrase “A Secret Space” John created Atmo-Sphere. It provides a hidden entrance in a large granite sphere for quiet reflection in the outdoors. Within the enclosure is a bench to sit and contemplate the quote on the floor. Don't forget to look up and enjoy the view while being embraced by the sounds of nature all around. The circular space in the roof was inspired by the architecture of the Pantheon. John spent four weeks in August and September 2013 creating this work. The stone for the dome is from the McBain Quarrie near Minden. The bench is created from West Coast cedar. John created the floor tiles out of polished granite in his studio in Nelson B.C. More Photos Previous Next

Peter Wehrspann All Sculptures Current Number on Map B Artist Peter Wehrspann Material Oak, Steel Installation Date August 1, 2005 Learn About the Artist Vision for the Bench: I designed this bench with two major considerations in mind. The sinuous form is for a pleasing shape embodying flow and movement. While the human-manipulated materials that make up the bench contrast with the surrounding natural environment, the bench's repetition of line and sense of movement invokes a congruent relationship with its environment. The concave face of the bench allows for interaction between visitors to the Sculpture Forest. Passers-by taking a rest will be nudged to engage in a quiet chat or conversation. Though, respecting the needs for personal space the bench's undulating form also allows for a convex seating arrangement to provoke focus elsewhere. A low backrest makes it easy to rest one's elbows to sit for long periods to just observe, communicate, or a combination of both. Artist Statement: I take great pride in creating unique objects that successfully fulfill requirements of form and function. This project became more intriguing for two reasons. First the bench is an exterior object that posed challenges in the design and construction and aesthetics. I don't believe it is a casual duty when attempting to gracefully impose human-made objects into nature. Second, the project was one that, unlike other sculpture, involves interaction with people on an ongoing basis. It is my belief that 'good objects' can positively evoke emotion and interaction, personally and interpersonally. Artists before me have inspired these perspectives that now define my work. Natural artist Andy Goldsworthy from England, landscape architect Martha Schwartz from the U.S.A. and Christopher Alexander, author of "A Patterned Language", all promote an awareness of the integral relationship between us, the Earth, and the things we, as humans, make. More Photos Previous Next

Brett Davis All Sculptures Guardians of the Forest Number on Map 04 Artist Brett Davis Material Bronze Installation Date June 1, 2004 Learn About the Artist In the past, man has played a crucial role in the depletion of our forests and has endangered many animals, bird species and forest vegetation by clear cutting, pollution, and neglect. Over the years, numerous conservation programs have been designed and implemented to protect the animals, birds, and forest vegetation, through education, laws, and public awareness. We must play an active and optimistic role to help replenish and stabilize our environment. The “Guardians” are a combination of man and nature. Together they form an alliance that reminds us to harmonize with nature to help keep our eco system balanced and our environment clean and free from any intervention that may harm or destroy the future of our forests. More Photos Previous Next

Tizirai Gumbere All Sculptures Together We Achieve the Extraordinary Number on Map 35 Artist Tizirai Gumbere Material Common Opal Installation Date November 1, 2020 Learn About the Artist Tizirai, known by his colleagues as “Gwama”, started sculpting in 1992 and was unwavering in his pursuit for excellence. During his lifetime, Tizirai’s work had an unmistakable trademark of contrasted handshakes. The handshake sculptures were the expression of his need to see inter-racial unity, he shared Martin Luther’s dream of seeing a world where people are not judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. More Photos Previous Next

Simon Chidharara All Sculptures Musical Inspiration Number on Map 25 Artist Simon Chidharara Material Springstone, Dolomite Installation Date June 1, 2014 Learn About the Artist “The musical instrument in this sculpture has a natural bond and connection to human life. Music entertains and educates us and speaks a universal language. The Dolomite lines represent the lyrics accompanying the music from the guitar. The lady is listening to the inspiring lyrics and music and it gives her happiness and peace. Music can do that.” Simon found this particular piece of springstone in a quarry up a mountain side in Zimbabwe. He and a crew of men careful carried it down the mountain so that the stone face would not be damaged. The shape had immediately spoken to him and he had the image for his sculpture. With a stringed musical instrument on one side and a woman listening to the music on the other side. All of the work on the sculpture is done by hand. The smooth sections were sanded with 7 grades of sandpaper. These smooth surfaces were then heated with fire to open up the pores of the stone and wax infused into the stone, The white lines were created by cutting grooves in the stones, grinding up dolomite and gluing the white granules into the grooves. Simon has been the artist in residence twice over the past 10 years at ZimArt and was present for the installation of the sculpture. ZimArt was an initiative created by Fran Fearnley in the year 2000. ZimArt's Rice Lake Gallery, was located in Bailieboro, Ontario (mid-way between Peterborough and Port Hope), representing over 50 Zimbabwean stone sculptors. The most comprehensive collection of hand-carved Zimbabwean stone sculpture in Canada was on display in a beautiful natural setting overlooking Rice Lake. Each year ZimArt hosted a visiting artist from Zimbabwe. More Photos Previous Next

Jared Tait All Sculptures Bawaajigan - To Dream Number on Map 43 Artist Jared Tait Material Panels, outdoor mural paint Installation Date August 17, 2024 Learn About the Artist Indigenous artist, Jared Tait, was our artist in residence, August 12th -16th 2024. Community members were invited to participate in this community engagement art experience at the Haliburton School of Art + Design. Over 80 community members participated and learned about the woodland style of painting and Indigenous stories. Under the direction of Jared, community members painted the figures, on to the panels over the course of the week. The central figure, Nanabush, stands high, in amongst the woodland creatures. This collection of figures represents the story of Nanabush and the owl. Nanabush had lost his connection between this world and the spiritual world. The owl saw him in his despair and offered his eyes to Nanabush so that he could find his way again. The yellow represents the colour of the owl's eyes and can be seen on all of the creatures. This story represents the gift the owl gave the to Anishinaabe people, to be able to see the connections. The line work on all of the figures represents connections and the interconnectiveness of everything. The animals in this installation are very common in all of Jared's art. The kingfisher represents his grandmother and her clan. Jared used purple and lavender colours in this painting because his grandmother was always wearing purple. The circle in the centre of the kingfisher represents a wampum shell. In the centre of the loon, the divied circle reperesnts the miigis shell, which people would wear on their necklaces or ceremonial outfits, honouring the connections. There are two halves on this shell which represent the duality of day and night, and the connectiveness of this world and the spiritual world. The bear usually takes up a lot of space on Jared's canvases. It represents healing to Jared. The beaver shaped the land for the people and they relied on the beaver for many things. More Photos Previous Next

William Lishman All Sculptures Kennisis: Horse and Rider Number on Map 19 Artist William Lishman Material Milled Steel Installation Date October 1, 2008 Learn About the Artist The theme of Expo 86 in Vancouver was transportation and communications. There were three plazas that focused on various forms of transportation; land, sea and air. My concept won the commission for the centerpiece sculpture for the Land Transportation plaza. My thoughts (inspired by Terry Fox and Steve Fonyo) were that muscle power has been the mainstay of our transportation in human history. Legs have carried humankind around the planet since our forbearers crawled from the sea, and who knows when we first started riding various animals. The horse more than any other animal has carried us for many millennia. The overall piece was comprised of many elements depicting the devolution of the wheel. It started at the bottom out of a traffic jam as if wheeled vehicles had been caught in some tornado-like blender, and were torn apart in an upward spiral of varying colours around a central cone to a height of 86 feet. The vehicle parts re-congealed into muscle powered transportation. A celebration of legs! Aside from the wheeled vehicles at the bottom, it was comprised of 55 figures which gradually diminished in size as they spiraled skyward giving the piece a forced perspective and making it appear much higher than its 86 feet. The horse sculpture was in the second step down in scale, just a bit smaller than life size. It represented the history of equestrian transportation depicting a North American aboriginal rider as one with the horse in mind and muscle. The segments that are welded together to make the sculpture are off cuts from a metal stamping plant that made parts for General Motors in Oshawa. The overall piece was entitled Transcending the Traffic. The sculpture was purchased by Janis Parker and donated to Fleming College which has provided the sculpture on permanent loan to the Haliburton Sculpture Forest. Janis chose the name Kennisis, the name of a racehorse owned by Gary Vasey and Don Finn, to honour the Vasey and Finn families. More Photos Previous Next

Scott McKay All Sculptures Sun Bench Number on Map D Artist Scott McKay Material Corten Steel Installation Date January 1, 2018 Learn About the Artist Wendy Wilkins, the patron who purchased Mother Earth and commissioned the Sun Bench to accompany it, thought it would be lovely to add a couple more Scott McKay one-of-a-kind benches to create Mother Earth’s living room where a whole family or group of friends could gather. So, she worked with the Sculpture Forest to commission two new nature inspired benches to complete the set and create Mother Earth's living room. In 2018 the Haliburton Sculpture Forest teamed up with the Haliburton Village BIA (business Improvement Area) to create the Downtown Haliburton Sculpture Exhibition. This featured the display of six sculptures on the main street from Ontario artists from June to October. McKay’s Mother Earth was one of them. Mother Earth is McKay’s vision of the classical mother figure who is one with the tree of life. More Photos Previous Next