Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Lightfoot sculpture INFO-unveiling Orillia-VIDEOS-PICTURES-Frid.Oct.23,2015@1:00 pm

charlene · 10-19-2015, 11:01 AM

UPDATE: http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/596...ng-in-orillia/

Lightfoot to attend sculpture unveiling in Orillia

Artist Timothy Schmalz will unveil a bronze sculpture that pays tribute to Gordon Lightfoot’s musical legacy during an event at Tudhope Park on Oct. 23. Lightfoot will be on hand for the dedication, Schmalz said.
Orillia Today
By Frank Matys

Lightfoot, meet Lightfoot.

Orillia’s hometown troubadour will come face-to-face with a bronze likeness of himself when sculptor Timothy Schmalz unveils a towering tribute to the iconic singer/songwriter at Tudhope Park Oct. 23.

“I wanted it to be a pure distillation of his songs and the spirit that was found in his music,” says Schmalz, who will meet Lightfoot for the first time during the unveiling.

“It seems to be a little bit surreal,” he adds. “Not only did I fall in love with Gordon Lightfoot at the age of 18, but one of the most intense sculpting times I’ve had in my life has just passed with the completion of this piece.”

The sculpture was commissioned by the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation , which is gifting the piece to the city during an installation and dedication ceremony at Tudhope Park starting at 1:30 p.m.

The Lightfoot project was a year-and-a-half in the making, with the noted sculptor initially creating a mold from rubber and fiberglass to produce a ‘negative’.

It was then cast in bronze at a foundry in Xiamen, China, where Schmalz owns a larger studio.

“China does the largest bronzes in the world, and this piece is very complex,” says Schmalz, who started the work in Canada.

The piece depicts Lightfoot sitting cross-legged, guitar in hand.

Framing the main figure are 22 maple leafs – one for each song on ‘Gord’s Gold’, Lightfoot’s greatest hits collection.

Each leaf portrays an individual song pictorially.

“I wanted to celebrate his gift that he gave Canada and the rest of the world,” Schmalz adds. “I can’t just do that with a face. I have to do that by visually translating his songs.”

The sculpture is en route to Ontario from Vancouver.

“It is going to make the deadline for the 23rd,” he adds. “Gordon Lightfoot is set to be there.”

Schmalz has additionally created a granite-mounted leaf for the City of Detroit to commemorate the 1967 race riots that were the subject of Lightfoot’s ‘Black Day in July’.

Michigan’s Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum will receive a cast of a maple leaf commemorating the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 1975 disaster immortalized by Lightfoot in song.

The latter sculpture will also be in Orillia for next week’s unveiling ceremony.

10-19-2015, 11:01 AM	#9
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm UPDATE: http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/596...ng-in-orillia/ Lightfoot to attend sculpture unveiling in Orillia Artist Timothy Schmalz will unveil a bronze sculpture that pays tribute to Gordon Lightfoot’s musical legacy during an event at Tudhope Park on Oct. 23. Lightfoot will be on hand for the dedication, Schmalz said. Orillia Today By Frank Matys Lightfoot, meet Lightfoot. Orillia’s hometown troubadour will come face-to-face with a bronze likeness of himself when sculptor Timothy Schmalz unveils a towering tribute to the iconic singer/songwriter at Tudhope Park Oct. 23. “I wanted it to be a pure distillation of his songs and the spirit that was found in his music,” says Schmalz, who will meet Lightfoot for the first time during the unveiling. “It seems to be a little bit surreal,” he adds. “Not only did I fall in love with Gordon Lightfoot at the age of 18, but one of the most intense sculpting times I’ve had in my life has just passed with the completion of this piece.” The sculpture was commissioned by the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation , which is gifting the piece to the city during an installation and dedication ceremony at Tudhope Park starting at 1:30 p.m. The Lightfoot project was a year-and-a-half in the making, with the noted sculptor initially creating a mold from rubber and fiberglass to produce a ‘negative’. It was then cast in bronze at a foundry in Xiamen, China, where Schmalz owns a larger studio. “China does the largest bronzes in the world, and this piece is very complex,” says Schmalz, who started the work in Canada. The piece depicts Lightfoot sitting cross-legged, guitar in hand. Framing the main figure are 22 maple leafs – one for each song on ‘Gord’s Gold’, Lightfoot’s greatest hits collection. Each leaf portrays an individual song pictorially. “I wanted to celebrate his gift that he gave Canada and the rest of the world,” Schmalz adds. “I can’t just do that with a face. I have to do that by visually translating his songs.” The sculpture is en route to Ontario from Vancouver. “It is going to make the deadline for the 23rd,” he adds. “Gordon Lightfoot is set to be there.” Schmalz has additionally created a granite-mounted leaf for the City of Detroit to commemorate the 1967 race riots that were the subject of Lightfoot’s ‘Black Day in July’. Michigan’s Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum will receive a cast of a maple leaf commemorating the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 1975 disaster immortalized by Lightfoot in song. The latter sculpture will also be in Orillia for next week’s unveiling ceremony.