One of the new booths at Sunflower this year was W.C. Keen, Metal Artist. Keen uses steel to make unique sculptures, often depicting trees and nature, though also bringing some more abstract work to the show.
The work is a partnership between Keen and his wife, Laurette, who paints the finished work. He says that her paint is what makes the final sculptures look real and have them come alive as more than metal.
He also emphasizes that the work is a sculpture, rather than something cut out, using an add-on process which makes every work unique. While varied, one of the main subjects of the work is trees, and he says that they are one of his main inspirations.
"Trees are part of our life, trees are outside, they endure all of the elements. I love looking at trees and seeing how they flow and move in the wind and so on, every tree is different."
Most of his work is purely out of his imagination, Keen says, using trees to represent different ideas, though he is also inspired by images he sees in the countryside. He notes that one sculpture, featuring two trees overlapping, represents a long-married couple, with strong roots as a foundation and the two trees growing together. He also incorporates things like old window frames into his work, because he is inspired by how they endure and withstand the elements, similar to how trees endure the harsh conditions of the world around them.
Keen works with steel because it's easy to work with, being malleable, easy to bend, twist and fuse together. He says that the goal is to make the steel look organic and a part of nature.
While he lives in Moose Jaw, Keen says he used to teach in Yorkton 42 years ago, and that was one of the reasons why he decided to come to Sunflower. He says he wanted to come back because he had never shown in the city, and after 40 years of working with metal it was something he felt he should do.
"I came to this show to just to see what Yorkton is all about. Yorkton is a good city for arts and culture."
He says that the show overall was a great one, with a lot of traffic over the two days and good sales. Keen notes that many people had never seen something like his work before, and part of the reward was bringing something fresh that people had not seen before.
"I love my work. Why? Because it's creating things. If people love it that makes me feel happy."
Keen's work can be found at wckmetalartist.ca.
