St. Mary's Heritage Festival - A Stratford Connection

This morning I went to St. Mary's. I have always appreciated the beauty of the buildings there.



But today there was an extra enticement. They were celebrating their Heritage Days. The streets were filled with activity - vendor's stalls, entertainment, kid's activities, music and groups of friends out enjoying the beautiful day.




On the north side of Queen Street my eye was caught by an artist standing in a store window sketching. The door was open so I wandered inside and discovered "Creations" an intimate art gallery featuring the work of the artist, Mark Czajkowski, his parents Mary and Ed, and other local artists who submit work to display.




Born in Stratford, Mark began to draw as a child, and when he sold his first sketch at Art in the Park here in town for ten cents, he was hooked. He has been painting ever since. Now a recognized Canadian artist, Mark is a carpenter by trade. He worked in the props department of the Stratford Festival for about 5 years before starting up Czajkowski's Creative Carpentry.

As well as working in wood, his carpentry has taken him into creating with steel. A few years ago he built the intricate Tir Na nOg gateway off of Downie Street in Stratford. His newest creation, a Remembrance gateway by the War Memorial in St. Mary's, was unveiled yesterday.

It is quite lovely and worth the drive to see.

As well as being an amazing creative artist, Mark is a delightful person to meet. I encourage you to add a trip to St. Mary's to your summer itinerary. Drop by Creations Art Gallery.


If you time it right, Mark just may be painting in the window. He tells me he paints there an hour early in the morning and about an hour after his day at work.

Sculpture of Norval Morrisseau

Mine 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, 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.