Lightfoot sculpture INFO-unveiling Orillia-VIDEOS-PICTURES-Frid.Oct.23,2015@1:00 pm
 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-s...blin-1.2085405

Secular sculpture is also a passion for Schmalz, who is completing a Gordon Lightfoot trail in Canada with a series of sculptures representing the Canadian singer-songwriter’s work. This will culminate in a larger-than-life, 14ft Lightfoot statue with maple leaves flowing out of his guitar. Schmalz sculpted with Lightfoot’s music playing in the background, and he is delighted that Lightfoot will attend the unveiling on July 1st.

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling - July 1,2015
 

CLICK ON BLUE SQUARES TO OPEN PHOTOS:
from the artists FB site: Working on my Gordon Lightfoot project.
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian folk singer.
I believe he describes what being Canadian is.
The sculpture is very involved.
below is a part of the work. the original sketch of the principle sculpture.
I am sculpting his songs. Started 20 plus songs that are featured on Gord's Gold, click on blue square to see photos.. ( his famous album). https://www.facebook.com/SculptureByTimothySchmalz...

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling - July 1,2015
 

from Tim's FB page: """Working on the songs of Gordon Lightfoot, Carving each song on maple leaves. Had a meeting with the Deputy Mayor of Detroit, Ike. He is interested in helping get a cast of Black Day in July installed in Detroit. He was a police man at the time of the riots, I could of talked to him for hours about his accurate perspective. The Black Day of July is a part of Detroit history and we agreed that it should be acknowledge in the city. """

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling - July 1,2015
 

UPDATE: UPDATE on Sculpture: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitche...foot-1.2945343

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling - July 1,2015
 

update: http://www.orilliapacket.com/2015/02...-folk-festival Each of the past three weeks, something big has happened that altered the makeup of this column. So, while going over the nominees for this year’s Orillia and District Arts Council (ODAC) Arts Awards is important, it will have to come second in the order.

In November, an item curiously appeared on Orillia council’s closed-session agenda regarding a monument in Tudhope Park. I thought it was odd that would be in closed session and asked Ray Merkley, director of parks, recreation and culture, about it. He told me it was in closed session because the donor wanted to remain anonymous, and that was all he would say.

The information I have did not leak out of closed session, where it still remains. Gordon Lightfoot mentioned it to me Christmas Eve.

At the Mariposa Folk Festival, a monument of Lightfoot will be unveiled. Pam Carter, president of the Mariposa Folk Foundation, is happy about it.

“I think it’s a huge tribute to a great Canadian icon and to have Mariposa involved in unveiling of the art project speaks volumes about the Mariposa Folk Festival, Mr. Lightfoot’s commitment to the festival and also to the community of Orillia. We’re thrilled to be part of the project,” she said.

The sculptor is Timothy P. Schmalz, of Kitchener. He’s notable for religious sculptures and has also done the Canadian Veterans’ Monument in Waterloo and the National Mining Monument in Sudbury.

I spoke to Schmalz about the monument, which will likely be unveiled the Sunday of the festival in July.

“The principal sculpture is a little bit over life-size representation of Gordon Lightfoot and he’s playing his guitar; from his guitar, all these leaves emerge and they form a massive maple leaf. On most of these maple leaves, you have these songs sculpted,” said Schmalz.

The whole project will appear in several places. The main, 13-foot-tall sculpture will be here, with smaller pieces destined for Detroit and Whitefish Bay, Mich., with two other locations in Toronto being negotiated. It’s an expensive project.

“It’s a massive project. It’s, like, a $500,000 start to the project and it’s just becoming greater and greater. It’s just so cool,” said Schmalz.

“I have a patron who basically believes that our treasures in this country are our musicians, are our artists like Lightfoot, these cultural icons who not only show us what it’s like to be Canadian, but show that to the rest of the world.”

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling - July 1,2015
 

UPDATE: http://www.orilliapacket.com/2015/03...t-taking-shape
Lightfoot monument taking shape

By John Swartz
Monday, March 9, 2015 4:40:47 EDT PM

The sculptor, Timothy Schmalz, making the soon-to-be-installed monument of Gordon Lightfoot, has a definite opinion about the effect of his magnificent work of art.

"The great thing about bronze is you can’t turn the volume down, and this sculpture has Lightfoot blaring," said Schmalz.

Having been to the sculptor’s studio and examined the piece in its clay form — a form still being fine-tuned — that is a close description of the way I felt when viewing it live and in living technicolour. It is powerful.

This new addition to the public art showcase in Orillia is on par with the Champlain monument. It certainly has the potential to be a magnet, bringing people to Orillia just to see it. The overall effect is overwhelming in its beauty. That current size is limited to the height of the ceiling in Schmalz’s St. Jacobs studio; he still has to create a base that will lift the whole thing so Lightfoot’s face will be eye level to the viewer.

Then there’s realizing the level of detail Schmalz has given it. Each of the songs on the album Gord's Gold has a leaf with a scene representative of the song. All of the leaves combine to form one gigantic maple leaf with Lightfoot in the centre.

"The idea was of a tapestry or a quilt. The pieces put together make up the Canadian identity. If you take all the Gordon Lightfoot songs and put them together, you will really get a picture of what it’s like to be a Canadian, or the Canadian experience. I visually just did exactly what I said — I took all his songs, from one album, put them all together in the form of the universal symbol of Canada," said Schmalz.

When one focuses on the leaf depicting Rainy Day People, one will immediately get it; same goes for Beautiful and all the others. Regardless of your life perspective, you will have your own impression and it will be the right one.

"I have faith that an expression of a song can be translated into a sculpture and that some sort of the essence can be captured," said Schmalz.

The sculpture is destined to be installed on the northernmost tip of Barnfield Point in Tudhope Park on the Lightfoot Trail.

John Bryant, the city’s manager of park planning and development, is charged with creating the setting for it.

"The landscape components are yet to be established. I’m going to be collaborating with the artist on the sculpture placement and the associated landscaping. My initial thought is the sculpture and the natural beauty of the lake in the background — that’s going to be the focal point, so the landscape should not be distracting, but complementary. So, I think a little less is better," said Bryant.

A viewer will be able to see through the centre of the sculpture. Both Schmalz and Bryant want the water to be visible through that. Bryant also thinks planting some sugar maples strategically will extend the image of the giant maple leaf. There will also be stones brought in and placed so people will have somewhere to sit and contemplate. It’s likely one will be facing north to view it.

"I’ll work out the exact placement with Tim. He’ll be the one making the call — his best visual alignment — but north south sounds good to me," said Bryant.

The unveiling date has shifted. The Sunday of the Mariposa Folk Festival was the original target, but Schmalz is thinking it will be in August or early September.

"I want to continue to do as much detail as I possibly can. I want to make sure before it’s cast that it’s perfect as far as I’m concerned. The second point is, unfortunately, the Mariposa Folk Festival is a closed, ticketed event and the patron (the cost to date is $500,000) brought it up to my attention; the unveiling has to be at a time where all are welcome to see it at the dedication," said Schmalz.

It’s a bit of a disappointment for festival organizing chair Pam Carter. The group had been planning a party to celebrate the unveiling, but she understands the logic.

"Realistically, the art project is being donated to the city, not Mariposa. They had asked us if we would do the unveiling during the festival and we were happy to do that, but if the plans have changed, we would probably look at the following year," she said.

Schmalz is aiming to have a rubber casting completed next week. He’ll take that to his other studio, in Xiamen, China. It’s a converted airplane hanger, with more room to work in, where he’ll complete the reverse side of the sculpture and have it cast in a foundry, which happens to be next door to his studio. Then he’ll ship it to Orillia and it will be positioned in its permanent home.

John Swartz is a columnist for The Packet & Times.

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling - late aug./sept.2015
 

Might not happen till NEXT spring - http://www.orilliapacket.com/2015/08...enetanguishene
I think the average person regards sculpture in terms of our Champlain Monument.

People seem to regard a realistic-looking figure doing something — in this case in stride, but it could be on a horse, wielding a sword, etc., or a bust that reasonably resembles the subject, like the ones of Stephen Leacock, Charles Hale and Leslie Frost — as sculpture.

Blobs, cubes, geometric shapes and other things that can’t be easily be described (there are many examples of that kind of thing in Toronto) or metal frames representing fruit in the garden at Market Square — that’s the kind of stuff many might call art, but maybe not sculpture.

Now we have the case of the Gordon Lightfoot statue that will be placed in Tudhope Park on Barnfield Point. Many people have asked me about it: What does it look like? Or — if they’ve seen the picture of its early state that was published in the Packet & Times a few months ago — do you think that looks like Gord? So, let’s make a comparison to something people can see that should ease minds about what the Lightfoot statue will be like.

Last Saturday, the Town of Penetanguishene unveiled a new statue of Champlain. Thousands were on hand, including all the dignitaries who could be there — even from Quebec and France. It depicts the first meeting of Samuel de Champlain with the chief of the Huron-Wendat natives.

Side note: Lots was said of Champlain’s first arriving in the area at Penetanguishene, a notion I think Don Ross would take issue with since Orillia is very much upstream from Penetanguishene on the Severn River system.

Why that sculpture? The creator of both monuments is Tim Schmalz.

The intricate detail of Penetanguishene’s Champlain monument and the sheer size is hard to comprehend without being in front of it (which you can do — the drive is only about 40 minutes).

I have seen the Lightfoot clay model, and I saw the one-third-scale clay model of the Champlain monument at the same time; the level of detail in each is the same and it’s exceptional.

The Lightfoot statue is also big in size and, on its pedestal, will be about 14 feet tall and about 12 feet wide.

Schmalz told me Saturday the mould is done and he was going back to China, where his foundry is, this week and will start casting it before the week is done. He said it will take a month to do the casting and a month to ship it here, which means by about the end of September, it should be in town or very close. He estimates it will take a month to properly install it and, if everything goes according to plan, the unveiling will happen in early November. But, he cautioned, a lot can happen to hold things up. If there is a problem with the casting or transportation, Schmalz thinks it might be best to wait until spring to unveil it.

I’m excited about this thing and I hope it goes according to plan. As far as I know, I am one of two people in town who have seen any part of it and the anticipation of all of you being as flabbergasted by it as I am is not unlike being five years old and waiting for the candy store to open its doors. I think we’ll all be proud of it.

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling - late aug./sept.2015
 

UPDATE::
http://www.mariposafolk.com/festival...rking-lodging/

There’s a link for festival map which brings up a festival map. The monument is going right between the Dance Stage and Studio Point.

Lightfoot Statue to be Unveiled
Wednesday, October 14, 2015 5:51 PM by Ken Hashizume
The 13-foot bronze statue will be placed on the Lightfoot Trail at Tudhope Park.

A 13-foot bronze statue of Gordon Lightfoot will be unveiled in a ceremony on October 23rd at 1 PM.

The statue called "Golden Leaves" was commissioned by and gifted to the City by Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation.

It was created by figurative artist Timothy P. Schmalz.

The statue will be erected on the Gordon Lightfoot Trail at Barnfield Point.

Lightfoot is expected to be at the unveiling.

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

UPDATE: http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/596...ng-in-orillia/

Lightfoot to attend sculpture unveiling in Orillia

Artist Timothy Schmalz will unveil a bronze sculpture that pays tribute to Gordon Lightfoot’s musical legacy during an event at Tudhope Park on Oct. 23. Lightfoot will be on hand for the dedication, Schmalz said.
Orillia Today
By Frank Matys

Lightfoot, meet Lightfoot.

Orillia’s hometown troubadour will come face-to-face with a bronze likeness of himself when sculptor Timothy Schmalz unveils a towering tribute to the iconic singer/songwriter at Tudhope Park Oct. 23.

“I wanted it to be a pure distillation of his songs and the spirit that was found in his music,” says Schmalz, who will meet Lightfoot for the first time during the unveiling.

“It seems to be a little bit surreal,” he adds. “Not only did I fall in love with Gordon Lightfoot at the age of 18, but one of the most intense sculpting times I’ve had in my life has just passed with the completion of this piece.”

The sculpture was commissioned by the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation , which is gifting the piece to the city during an installation and dedication ceremony at Tudhope Park starting at 1:30 p.m.

The Lightfoot project was a year-and-a-half in the making, with the noted sculptor initially creating a mold from rubber and fiberglass to produce a ‘negative’.

It was then cast in bronze at a foundry in Xiamen, China, where Schmalz owns a larger studio.

“China does the largest bronzes in the world, and this piece is very complex,” says Schmalz, who started the work in Canada.

The piece depicts Lightfoot sitting cross-legged, guitar in hand.

Framing the main figure are 22 maple leafs – one for each song on ‘Gord’s Gold’, Lightfoot’s greatest hits collection.

Each leaf portrays an individual song pictorially.

“I wanted to celebrate his gift that he gave Canada and the rest of the world,” Schmalz adds. “I can’t just do that with a face. I have to do that by visually translating his songs.”

The sculpture is en route to Ontario from Vancouver.

“It is going to make the deadline for the 23rd,” he adds. “Gordon Lightfoot is set to be there.”

Schmalz has additionally created a granite-mounted leaf for the City of Detroit to commemorate the 1967 race riots that were the subject of Lightfoot’s ‘Black Day in July’.

Michigan’s Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum will receive a cast of a maple leaf commemorating the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 1975 disaster immortalized by Lightfoot in song.

The latter sculpture will also be in Orillia for next week’s unveiling ceremony.

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

MAP of area in park: just heard from the emcee for the day at the STATUE unveiling: - ""It got installed today, shipping wrapping removed – it looks fantastic – and then rewrapped for unveiling Friday.""

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

http://www.orilliapacket.com/2015/10...t-tudhope-park

Friday, 1:30 p.m., Tudhope Park — something extraordinary is happening. The Gordon Lightfoot monument, called Golden Leaves, by sculptor Tim Schmalz, will be uncovered for the first time.

Just don’t show up at 1:30 thinking you’ll get close. I am aware there are people travelling to town for this event.

Lightfoot will be there and I think everyone will be pleased with how the monument turned out.

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

Oct.23,2015- Barnfield Point in Tudhope Park, THE LIGHTFOOT TRAIL, Orillia, Ontario. The unveiling of "GOLDEN LEAVES" by Timothy P. Schmalz. A sculptural Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot. 20 leaves depicting the songs on the 1975 Gord's Gold LP. On a quintessential Lightfoot Canadian fall day in his hometown we gathered to honour our legend under a clear blue sky with the rustle of fall leaves underfoot & the remaining leaves in the trees glistening golden, amber, red and orange. The lyrics to his Hi'Way songs were written by Lightfoot in 1972 and were perfect for this perfect day. ENJOY!

When I stand on my own sod
It feels so good to be home, by God
The winter wind has turned my head
But I always came up warm somehow. . Just for now I'd like to rest
In the shade of a maple tree
To the blue Canadian sky
I'll say a prayer for the world out there

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment...f-orillia.html
Gordon Lightfoot statue unveiled in singer’s hometown of Orillia
Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot was in Orillia, Ontario for the reveal of his statue, 'Golden Leaves — A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot.’

By: The Canadian Press, Published on Fri Oct 23 2015

ORILLIA, ONT.—A sculpture dedicated to Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has been unveiled in his hometown.

The legendary troubadour was in Orillia, Ont., today to see the four-metre-high bronze work called “Golden Leaves — A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot.”
The sculpture depicts a bearded Lightfoot in his 20s sitting on the ground and looking down contemplatively as he plays an acoustic guitar.

A wreath of leaves in the shape of a giant maple leaf artistically frames him.
Some of the leaves depict scenes from songs on his 1975 album Gord’s Gold.

Figurative artist Timothy Schmalz of St. Jacobs, Ont., said he designed the sculpture three years ago and got the funding for it — it cost about $500,000 to make — about a year and a half ago.

“When I found out they were working on it, I thought, ‘Why me? What have I done that is so great that I should deserve to have a statue, a very artistic work done?’“ said Lightfoot, 76, in an interview shortly before the unveiling.

Lightfoot, known for songs including If You Could Read My Mind, Sundown and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, has won 17 Juno Awards in his career along with five Grammy nominations.

“Well, I still haven’t won the Grammy Award either,” he quipped with a laugh. “No, I’m just kidding. I don’t care.

“This is super special, to have a monument of this kind. And the location here, the Mariposa Folk Festival location, where I do the odd cameo still and performed here five times over the years. . . It’s very appropriate.”

Schmalz, who has created large public monuments and religious sculptures for sites around the world, said he was thrilled to work on a Lightfoot piece.

“I grew up loving Gordon Lightfoot. This was music that was omnipresent in my studio. I can’t tell you how many sculptures I actually created with Gordon Lightfoot in the background. And now, Gordon Lightfoot’s in the foreground,” Schmalz said.

The sculpture was gifted to the City of Orillia by the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation.

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle26961357/

Gordon Lightfoot statue unveiled in his hometown of Orillia, Ont.
VICTORIA AHEARN
ORILLIA, Ont. — The Canadian Press
Published Friday, Oct. 23, 2015 5:16PM EDT

On a crisp autumn day with his hit “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” playing in the background, a humble Gordon Lightfoot reflected on his roots in Orillia, Ont., as a lakefront sculpture of the singer-songwriter was unveiled before hundreds of fans.

“When I found out they were working on it, I thought, ‘Why me? What have I done that is so great that I should deserve to have a statue, a very artistic work done?”’ said Lightfoot, 76, in an interview shortly before the unveiling, which was also attended by his wife and daughter and the mayor.

Figurative artist Timothy Schmalz of St. Jacobs, Ont., created the four-metre-high bronze work called “Golden Leaves – A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot,” which is at Barnfield Point, on the Gordon Lightfoot Trail.

He said he designed it three years ago and got the funding for it – it cost about $500,000 to make – about a year and a half ago.

The sculpture depicts a bearded Lightfoot in his 20s sitting on the ground and looking down contemplatively as he plays an acoustic guitar. A wreath of leaves in the shape of a giant maple leaf artistically frames him. Some of the leaves depict scenes from songs on his 1975 album “Gord’s Gold.”

“I was raised singing in the choir and taking piano lessons, and my parents were good that way and they encouraged me,” said Lightfoot.

“I became a soloist and decided very early on that I wanted to be a performer, by the time I was perhaps eight or 10 years of age here in Orillia, and I’d already made that decision within myself.

“I could feel it.”

The legendary troubadour said his parents loved Bing Crosby and would play his records, especially at Christmastime.

“I sort of got hooked on that. I said to myself, ‘I wonder, is it really possible to succeed as a vocalist or a singer?’ I had never written any songs or anything like that, I was not particularly brilliant with my piano lessons.

“But I learned some stuff that came back to me later on.”

Lightfoot eventually left Orillia to take a music course in the U.S., but he returned and worked as a truck driver before moving to Toronto, where his career began within the Yorkville folk scene with artists including Joni Mitchell.

With hits including “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown,” Lightfoot went on to win 17 Juno Awards in his career and picked up five Grammy nominations.

“Well, I still haven’t won the Grammy Award either,” he quipped with a laugh. “No, I’m just kidding. I don’t care.

“This is super special, to have a monument of this kind. And the location here, the Mariposa Folk Festival location, where I do the odd cameo still and performed here five times over the years … It’s very appropriate.”

Asked if he has plans to write or record again, he suggested he doesn’t, noting his main focus is his family and touring.

“In a funny kind of a way, I really don’t want to, because the responsibilities that I have accumulated for myself and my lifestyle through the years has been quite complicated. I have quite an extensive family and they require a lot of attention. And I’m not really under contract right now, so I’m just sort of taking it easy.

“I was under contract to record companies for 33 years.”

Schmalz, who has created large public monuments and religious sculptures for sites around the world, said he was thrilled to work on a Lightfoot piece.

“I grew up loving Gordon Lightfoot. This was music that was omnipresent in my studio. I can’t tell you how many sculptures I actually created with Gordon Lightfoot in the background. And now, Gordon Lightfoot’s in the foreground,” Schmalz said.

The sculpture was gifted to the City of Orillia by the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation.

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/st-jacob...ebut-1.2625067
video at link

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

CanPress-F.Thornhill photo

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

Lots of pics:http://fashionecstasy.com/the-unveil...carousel-42255

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/10/23...metown-orillia
WARMINGTON
Gordon Lightfoot immortalized in bronze in hometown Orillia

joe-warmington BY JOE WARMINGTON, TORONTO SUN

If you could read his mind the tale his thoughts could tell would definitely be memories of the very location where he was immortalized forever.

“Oh yeah I remember this place very well,” Gordon Lightfoot said Friday, on the day where an incredible bronze sculpture was unveiled in his honour.

Sculpted by St. Jacobs figurative artist Timothy Schmalz, the four-metre (13-foot) Lightfoot statue, Golden Leaves: A Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot was placed at the foot of Lake Couchiching in the picturesque J.B. Tudhope Memorial Park in the heart of the legend’s beloved home town.

ORILLIA - If you could read his mind the tale his thoughts could tell would definitely be memories of the very location where he was immortalized forever.

“Oh yeah I remember this place very well,” Gordon Lightfoot said Friday, on the day where an incredible bronze sculpture was unveiled in his honour.

Sculpted by St. Jacobs figurative artist Timothy Schmalz, the four-metre (13-foot) Lightfoot statue, Golden Leaves: A Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot was placed at the foot of Lake Couchiching in the picturesque J.B. Tudhope Memorial Park in the heart of the legend’s beloved home town.

“I used to ride my bike down here in what was known as Barnfield Point,” the soon to be 77-year-old national treasure told the Toronto Sun. “I used to swim over there.”
The area is called the Lightfoot Trail now but as much as this day was about Lightfoot, he made it about Orillia.

“He means a lot to us because his music was from our generation but he is also a local,” sad Marlene Caryl, who was among the hundreds who came down to witness the dedication.

Jim and Sandy Simpson have the rare bragging right to say they actually saw Lightfoot play as a teen at Jim’s “eighth grade school graduation party above Carter’s Restaurant.”
Classy Gordon Lightfoot said his upbringing in Orillia is part of his success which includes 17 Junos and five Grammy nominations and more than 20 top-40 songs.

Thanks to Christopher Bratty of the Remington Group, Lightfoot will be part of Orillia, and this beautiful spot in the heart of Canada, forever.

“Gordon Lightfoot and his music is quintessentially Canadian that transcends borders,” said Bratty. “Whenever I hear Gordon’s music, I never want it to end.”
Schmalz, whose works are often religious and displayed in city’s centres around the world, said he listened to every Lightfoot song over a half-century career to gain inspiration.

“Gordon Lightfoot is Canada’s Shakespeare,” said Schmalz.
At that point a humbled Lightfoot, as photographer Michael Peake captured, put his head in his hands in shock.

He told me he doesn’t feel worthy of such grand compliments, adoration or immortalization but more like a regular kid from Orillia.

He’s so understated, Gordon and his wife Kim drove down to the ceremony, not in a limo, but a small two-door Ford.

Not one to blow his own horn, it sure was nice to see that there are others who will do it for him.

“He’s very special and we think the world of him,” said a beaming Bratty, who through the Rudolph P. Bratty Foundation funded the $500,000 project.

Schmalz said he hopes “100 years from now and beyond people will come down and reflect on the greatness of this musical talent.”

This, he said, is why he decided to not only do a statue likeness of Lightfoot with a guitar but also incorporate scenes from some of his greatest songs. It’s a stunning piece of art complete with beautiful portraits of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, The Canadian Railroad Trilogy and the Carefree Highway.

There are just too many songs to mention but classics like If You Could Read My Mind, Sundown, Early Morning Rain, Song For A Winter’s Night, Rainy Day People, Alberta Bound, Cotton Jenny and Did She Mention My Name? are among those highlighted.

When with the help of Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke, Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton and MC John Swartz, as his classics played in the background, Lightfoot partook in the countdown to unveil the much anticipated work. When the tarp came off, he stood there in awe.
“Nice job, Tim,” said Lightfoot after a pause to soak it all in.

You too, Gordon.

He took a long look at the bronze interpretation of himself and his songs that will be on the very waterfront lands that helped inspired it all. Lightfoot admitted he was a loss for words.

But you didn’t have to read his mind to see he was thrilled.

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

Thanks, Char, for all the articles & the pics. I just love how modest Gordon is!

Gail

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

http://jam.canoe.com/Music/2015/10/23/22565465.html
PATRICK BALES, POSTMEDIA NETWORK
Oct 23, 2015

More than a decade ago, Gordon Lightfoot immortalized Orillia in a song called Couchiching. Friday afternoon, on the shores of Lake Couchiching, Lightfoot himself was immortalized in bronze.

The Orillia native and folk music legend was present as a 13-foot-high bronze sculpture was unveiled in front of hundreds of fans and figures from his past. The sculpture, called Golden Leaves -- A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot, has been installed at Barnfield Point, along the Lightfoot Trail in Tudhope Park.

The sculpture depicts Lightfoot as he would have appeared on the cover of the 1975 greatest-hits compilation, Gord's Gold. Lightfoot is seen sitting cross-legged, playing an acoustic guitar underneath a massive arch of maple leaves. The leaves feature scenes representing the songs on Gord's Gold, including Summer Side of Life, Carefree Highway and If You Could Read My Mind.

The interpretive scenes were included so figurative artist Timothy Schmalz could craft a work of art that would create curiosity about Lightfoot and his work as the years wore on, rather than putting together a piece simply showing Lightfoot playing a guitar. He listened to the songs depicted on the leaves over and over again to get each one right. Sometimes the inspiration struck right away; other times, it changed frequently.

"I'd only work on that song when that song played," Schmalz explained. "In the Early Morning Rain, the man was standing up; another month later, he was sitting down, he was more exhausted, he was more tired."

The exercise allowed Schmalz to gain a further appreciate for the complexity of Lightfoot's lyrics.

"His songs are deep," he said. "They're talking about the human condition so much, with an accent of Canadiana."

That attention to detail impressed Lightfoot.

"I was amazed because I knew that the songs were expressed in the ... work that he did," Lightfoot said. "It came out just the way I thought it would."

About a year-and-a-half ago, the project got underway. It wasn't until this time last year, though, when Schmalz and Christopher Bratty, of the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation, were introduced. The foundation was the benefactor for the sculpture, giving Schmalz the ability to turn his vision into a 13-foot-high reality.

When Schmalz came to Bratty with the idea, Bratty asked, "How can we get it done?"

"You either do it or you don't," Bratty said, quoting a Lightfoot quip about songwriting. "I thought, 'Well, we've gotta do it. Let's get it done.'"

Members of the Bratty family are longtime fans of Lightfoot's work, which he said embodies Canada. When speaking to the crowd before the unveiling, Bratty called the sculpture a way to give back to Lightfoot for all he has given the world.

"To me, Gordon's music transcends because of its universality," Bratty said. "Everybody understands and can appreciate it, yet it remains Canadian at the core in some way that no artist really does."

Mayor Steve Clarke and Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton spoke to the crowd assembled Friday afternoon, focusing their remarks on the importance of Lightfoot in Orillia, relaying personal anecdotes about the songwriter's school days at Orillia Collegiate Institute or the impact of his music on the city's residents.

The admiration of his hometown -- and the impromptu reunions with old friends and colleagues -- allowed Lightfoot to reflect on the day as well as the city he grew up in.

"I was involved in music in this town as long as I can remember," Lightfoot said. "It's an amazing thing. Sometimes I say, 'Why me? What did I do that was so great?'"

For Schmalz -- and undoubtedly hundreds of thousands like him -- Lightfoot helped shape how he saw himself as a Canadian.

"Gordon Lightfoot has always meant being Canadian to me," Schmalz said. "He seemed to be the most real, emotional and authentic representation that defined my Canadian experience."

Schmalz's work won universal praise at the ceremony; among others, Bratty called it "magnificent." But perhaps none of the accolades were as important as from the subject himself, who the sculptor called Canada's answer to William Shakespeare.

"It's an amazing sculpture," Lightfoot said. "I'm honoured, much more so than any of the honours I've received up to this point in time. It's really special."

patrick.bales@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/patrickbales

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

Gordon's daughter Meredith talks about the statue: http://video.showbiz.canoe.com/video.../4575908647001

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

stunning shot by a photog I follow on FB- Deb Halbot has shared this: Gordon gazing up at the trilogy of leaves at the top of the statue that depict The Canadian Railroad Trilogy..https://www.facebook.com/ThroughMyEy...bot?fref=photo

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

VIDEO playlist from the statue ceremony-clips of various things. Please view Video # 3 where patron/benefactor of the statue, Christopher Bratty of 'Bratty Foundation/Remington' speaks so eloquently about Gordon: (other video clips are of the sculptor Tim Schmalz, Gordon arriving, counting down the unveiling and admiring the statue)WATCH ON YOUTUBE:


http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...vcoPzCQQ14T4R4

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

Such a beautiful sculpture & tribute. Thanks for capturing it all on video, Char!

Gail

Re: Lightfoot sculpture unveiling in Orillia-Frid.Oct.23,2015 @1:00 pm
 

The dawning of this beautiful autumn day emerged with rays of sunlight filtering through the half fallen leafed trees here on Scarborough's "southwest coast" and with a squinting view, "Lake Ontario" can be seen as the early morning sun reflects it's bright rays onto the calm surface of the water.

A feeling in the air sensed that this one day was a given special to compliment a most special occasion that was to happen later in Orillia, the hometown of Canada's renowned gifted artist and national treasure, Gordon Lightfoot.

And a very special occasion it was indeed.

It's nine AM and we're on our way to the picturesque town of "Whitby" to meet up with "Corfid" moderator, Charlene Westbrook.

They're expecting Char as they know she's an important link in the huge Gordon Lightfoot fan base and we don't want to be late as she's scheduled for an interview so we're quickly on the road to Orillia.

It's a beautiful drive this time of year with Ontario's autumn tree colors in full bloom and the cornfields are golden in the bright sun.
With the approach of "Halloween" many of the hamlets and little towns along the way are colorfully decorated with ghosts and goblins which makes the drive most interesting.

After ninety minutes or so on the highway we pull into "Tudhope Park," site of the "Mariposa Folk Festival" where today's event is being held and we make our way to the area close to "Lake Couchiching" where the veiled sculpture is set in concrete and anxious folks are gathering to participate in this eventful ceremony.

The walk from the parking lot to site takes us through a forest of golden leafed trees and a look up through with the brilliant bright blue sky in the background is a sight to behold.
The still green grass is a carpet of fallen leaves that are bursting with color as the powerful sunlight penetrates down through and reveals this wonderful spectacle nature provides for us to enjoy. It's fiery autumn in Orillia.

The area is now filling in as folks are getting seated and the ceremony is about to begin.

Gord and his beautiful wife, Kim arrive without fanfare and take their seats close to the front.

Gord's Gold is playing through the sound system and the setting is just perfect.

Scheduled speakers take their turn at the mike revealing delightful anecdotes , telling their "Gord stories" etc. and the audience response is generously applauded in appreciation.

The time now arrives for the artist, Timothy Schmalz to remove the veil from the sculpture with Gord present of course.
The veil comes off and after looking it up and down and every other way, after a short pause, an overwhelmed Gord, in his true "Gord style" looks at the sculptor and says: "nice job Tim."

From where I was seated in the front row, witnessing that emotional encounter I nearly fell of my chair.
Hard to find words to describe the feeling of such diverse emotion. Like non other.

Here we have two very gifted Canadian artists complimenting each other on each other's work.
Doesn't get much better than that, eh?

What I've discovered over the years is the availability of openness within the Lightfoot organization; the family, friends, musicians, etc.
Barry Keane was present and we got to hang out with him for a bit. Johann Lowenberg, another close friend sat with us and we shared a few stories etc. with Johann. He's worked with Red Shea and plays gigs in the Orillia area. Terry Clements was Johann's best friend.

As the afternoon progressed the turn of events continued with Gord moving to the edge of the lake, sitting on a chair giving interviews etc. which were aired later that day as we heard from friends.
"Hey Ron, was that you I saw in the background on television at the Lightfoot gig in Orillia today?" Cudda bin!

Gord was there with Kim right through to the very end allowing everyone time for autographs on various items; album covers, photographs, guitars even.

Finally we gather up our sweaters, jackets etc. and head back to our vehicle.
I couldn't resist pausing and taking a final look back toward the statue which stood out majestically as it's brilliance reflected in the lowered afternoon sun. Very heartwarming and satisfying feeling.

The end of the day was at hand for us but before getting on the road we decide to stop off in town for a bevvy and snack at the "Brownstone Pub."
The Brownstone was where Paul Bartlett and I were invited to play a few Gord tunes during the "Lightfoot Tribute Celebrations" last year so the place has a sort of special significance with me. It's a very relaxing and welcoming place to visit.

Another memorable Lightfoot event has come to a close in the ongoing sequence of joyful experiences derived from the artistry of Gordon Lightfoot. Thanks Gord.