The Importance of Layers

To paraphrase Shrek, “All good things have layers”. For these two sculptures both the physical layers and the layers of techniques play a key role in their identifies.

As you walk by the V&S Department Store on the main street of Haliburton you will notice a large square sculpture, created by Darrell Markewitz. The many layers of this piece are what makes it so marvellous. Hence its name “Layers”, Markewitz carefully forged together strips of steel and various alloys; some polished, some rusting, some manipulated with different textures. It is hard to make a square look dynamic, but the range of techniques, materials and layers used by Markewitz showcases his talent and provides an additional sense of depth to the piece.

Layering different techniques is what makes “Musical Inspiration” in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, by Zimbabwian sculptor Simon Chidharara, so interesting. Believe it or not, Chidharara used only one piece of springstone for the entire piece. At the back of the piece the surface of the stone is rough and rust coloured. It has been left untouched and exposed to the air. Part of the woman’s headdress on the front the sculpture is a gunmetal grey, this is the result of Chidharara scoring the stone. Finally, the part that draws the most attention is the band of black on the front. Chidharara polished this section, heated it, and infused clear polish into the pores of the stone. The effect is a glistening jet black. On this background he scored narrow channels and filled them with crushed dolomite; creating sinuous white lines. The artist did a fabulous job of using different techniques on one material to create a layered effect.

Please wander down main street of Haliburton and see the Downtown Sculpture exhibition of 6 sculptures and visit Haliburton Sculpture Forest. There are free tours of the Sculpture Forest, Tuesdays 10:00–11:30am and Wednesdays 12:10–12:50pm. www.haliburtonsculptureforest.ca