Clifton Park, Edmonton 2023
Commissioned by ONE Properties & Revera Inc.

This sweet and dignified packhorse, a little tired from walking up the hill, reminds us that the horse has been part of our communities, part of the land, year after year, century after century. Running along his back and up onto his head is a line of purple martins – these social birds have come alight here, gathered companionably together on their generous host. These birds, like any family or community, are a cluster of personalities; some are nestled together, some preening individually, flitting or observing. These familiar inhabitants of our backyards are part of the land immemorial, migrating across continents annually, reminding us that we are bound together.

Untitled (wind and stars and birds and life) subverts the tradition of grand equestrian statuary set on high plinths. Our packhorse is with us on the ground, bearing songbirds rather than a heroized rider. Together, the horse and purple martins link Glenora Park to the far reaches of the world, representing migration to new homes, building community wherever they go. This artwork, situated at the entry to Clifton Park, is rooted in familiar parts of our lives – the sound of birds in our backyards, rural life, children and animals, families and friends connected.

There is a domesticity to the artwork, yet, at the same time, the horse and the birds allude to the natural world...moving within the vast expanse of land and sky, part of the eternal and ephemeral natural world.