Yorkton was one of just four cities in the province to be selected as a celebration community when the Olympic Torch passed across Canada and as of last week the city will have a lasting legacy of that happening for many years to come.
On Wednesday the city's newest public art piece was unveiled at the Yorkton Gallagher Centre. Called Fire and Ice, the sculpture - mounted high atop the building on the south east side - the piece reflects the fiery spirit of winter sport and will provide a lasting memory in Yorkton of the spirit generated by the Olympic Torch Relay.
Made possible through funding from the Government of Saskatchewan's Olympic Torch Relay Community Celebration Fund, the supersized 3-D piece was created by well-known artist Grant McLaughlin who also designed the mural at City Centre Park.
A special feature with the project is the use of recycled materials in its production, incorporating the green theme of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Solar lighting will also enhance the sculptural installation.
The monumental work of art will be an enduring reminder of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay and an inspiration for budding athletes of the future.
Putting the final touches on the installation last Wednesday, the artist said the project was a challenge but he is pleased with the outcome.
"I knew they wanted something that would go around the corner of the building and I knew they wanted something to do with winter sports... so it was a question of thinking of how I could combine that.
"I liked the idea of snow and ice with a colorful aspect."
The concept of fire and ice has been around for sometime says McLaug-hlin, but pulling it all together into something unique and lasting he put a new twist on an old theme.
Describing the process, he says "I had to find metal armatures that I could fasten to the wall, that's been a challenge and then the actual sculptures were carved out of foam and then fiberglassed and then painted."
The actual painting process took more work than McLaughlin anticipated.
"I was trying to be as environmentally friendly as I could and one of the top places out of Calgary talked me into a water-based paint... it's very good paint and it worked very well on the metal parts, but I found after about two weeks that it wasn't going to work with my sculptures. Half of it stuck like glue and half didn't...
"I had to take it all off and switch to an automotive paint... it's always a learning process... what works on a boat doesn't always work on a sculpture."
Placing the art work high up on a building and around a corner also presented a challenge.
"It's a slow process. You have to put each piece up, mark the spot, drill... redrill... but I'm working with it."
When all was said and done though, McLaughlin says the installation turned out almost exactly as he envisioned it.
"It's as close as you can get when you're working with bigger materials... in terms of the sculptures, they're almost exactly like the maquettes."
He's created larger than life sculptures in the past, but none quite like this piece he says.
"I've never done one going around a corner and with so many multi-pieces, where I've had to work it all together. It's been an interesting project but I like things that throw me a new challenge and this project provided that."
