SUSAN MURAR
- MORRISSEAU SCULPTOR
SUSAN MURAR
- MORRISSEAU SCULPTOR
"I
am honouring his gift to the people of the world"
~ Susan Murar

Portrait of
Norval Morrisseau & Susan Murar
-
Photography by
Helen Harrison
Portrait (White clay):
6'-4" x 3'-6" x 2'-2" (Height x Width
x Depth)
Staff (White clay):
3'-10" x 1'-10" x 10" (Height x Width
x Depth)
* Awaiting to be cast into bronze (Lost wax
method)
WHO IS SUSAN MURAR?
Stratford, Ontario
is a city that invites the imagination to thrive. Many wonderful artists
call Stratford home. Not only the theatrical and musical arts flourish
here, but visual arts of all types abound.
On my walk
home today I saw one of my neighbours out creating a new garden. I
stopped to chat and she invited me in to see her finished sculpture. It
stands 8 feet tall and is a 3D portrait of
Norval Morrisseau, an Ojibway
artist and Shaman who is considered by many to be one of Canada's most
original and important artists.
When he was
19, Norval Morrisseau recovered from a severe illness after a mystic
ceremony performed by a medicine woman, where he was given the name
Copper Thunderbird.
In the late 1950's he became sick again with tuberculosis and met his
wife
Harriet Kakegamic in a
sanitorium in Thunder Bay. She taught him to sign his artwork as
Copper Thunderbird
in Cree syllabics.
My artist
neighbour, Susan Murar, has captured the dichotomy of the face of the
thunder bird interwoven with that of the artist. I was captivated by the
sculpture's eyes and the intricate details that pull images from his
artwork. Back and front, both sculptures in the set display a wonderful
array of Ojibway legends.
If you are
ever passing through Stratford do take the time to look up artist Susan
Murar. She is a fascinating and talented woman. The statue, by the way,
is created from white plasticine - still awaiting its final bronze cast.
Helen
Harrison - a Christian singer, freelance writer, and speaker
from Stratford, Ontario
Visit her blog at
My Stratford! a fond look at Stratford, Ontario
* Used with permission
~~
NOTES:
Susan Murar
- former owner of the Stratford Brass Rubbing Museum and Gallery -
stated that she had always admired Norval Morrisseau’s work and that he
had really influenced her as an artist. After Norval Morrisseau died in
December 2007 she knew she found the perfect subject for a large-scale
portrait sculpture she had been looking for a long time. That started a
two year journey which included plenty of research into Norval
Morrisseau’s body of work.
"Norval Morrisseau created art
that will be around for centuries to come and that’s how she wanted to
portray him as the artist, not taking into consideration the smallness
we all have in our lives and added that everyone has a core of hope and
promise, and it’s connected to your heart and your spirit being. If you
know that about yourself you can go over a bridge and find it in
somebody else."
She designed the sculpture so that when a
parent holds a child in their arms for a closer look, the child is
eye-to-eye with Norval Morrisseau.
The arrangements for this portrait of Norval Morrisseau had been made to
be showcased at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but unfortunately
Susan Murar was not able to complete the sculpture in time.
Sources:
'Stratford
Gazette'
article by Tori Sutton;
Norval Morrisseau Blog Master's conversation with Susan Murar
Susan Murar, Sculptor -
BA, MFA, AOCAD
ZUSKA GEVURAH -"Woman with Courage"
CURRICULUM VITAE OF SUSAN MURAR
HOW THE NORVAL MORRISSEAU WAS SCULPTED?
SUSAN MURAR ABOUT NORVAL MORRISSEAU
back
Home "Susan Murar"
For further concise research on Norval Morrisseau go to
NORVAL MORRISSEAU BLOG
SUSAN MURAR
MORRISSEAU SCULPTOR
This Website has been created by "Web Spirit" / the anonymous art collector/. These
pages are
ONLY to be used
in honour of the Mind, Body and Spirit of Copper Thunderbird better known as Norval Morrisseau
- Grand Shaman of the Ojibway. Also, the content from
these pages, not covered by the copyright herein, is
NOT TO BE USED
for any other purpose than
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
and/or
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.
Reproductions shown on these pages are copyright protected by Norval Morrisseau
and/or his estate unless noted orherwise. No part of this website covered by the copyright
herein may be reproduced or used in any form, downloaded or transferred,
electronically or otherwise, without prior written permission from the stated
copyright owner(s).
©
2010
WWW.NORVALMORRISSEAU.COM
WWW.COPPERTHUNDERBIRD.COM
WWW.NORVALMORRISSEAU.CA