Bruce Garner proves that even illness can’t stifle his creative mind

For a man who was well-known for having many brilliant and, sometimes, shocking things to say, Bruce Garner doesn't do much talking these days.

It's not because he has nothing left to say. It's not because he can't find the words to express the vivid patterns of thought and opinion that rattle his brain. It's not because he would rather express himself through his art.

Garner doesn't do much talking these days because he simply can't. When he does try to communicate, very few people, other than his devoted wife of more than 20 years, Tamaya, can understand what he's trying to say.

"Thank God for art," Tamaya told The Review recently. "Thank God for paint and pastels and canvas. This is how Bruce best expresses himself now. This is how he gets what we has to say out of his head. This is how he talks. Not just to me, but to everyone."

Garner is one of Canada's pre-eminent sculptors who spent nearly three decades carving his sought-after pieces at his studio and home in Plantagenet.

Perhaps best-known for the giant bronze bear clutching a plump fish in its strong jaw that stands in Ottawa's Sparks Street Mall, his patrons have included Cirque du Soleil, the Museum of Fine Art in Belgrade, the federal and provincial governments and Nelson Mandela.

He is responsible for creating the massive ceremonial doors for the Machzikei Hadas Synagogue, sprawling wall murals depicting the History of the Grey Nuns at the General campus of The Ottawa Hospital and the delicate and angelic winged woman that sits atop the CHUM Market Media Mall in the Byward Market.

He is an artist used to using his hands, used to getting dirty in the pursuit of his art, used to manipulating massive power tools to bend and shape his seemingly delicate creations. But no more.

After a terrible fall in February 2009 left him in a wheelchair and with nearly no ability to speak, Garner, now 75, was moved to a nursing home to commence his long and difficult recovery.

"It's been hell," Tamaya said. "It's shocking to see the person you love in this situation. It's shocking for him to be in this position. This isn't Bruce. This isn't how it was supposed to be, yet here we are."

He has continued to produce painting and drawings, Tamaya noted, which has provided him with the kind of therapy no doctor or medical treatment ever could.

"Art is our life, it always has been and always will be," she said. "This is what we do. We don't know anything else. And so, even in illness, Bruce creates art. He paints, he draws, he does what he knows best. He's keeping me busy running around buying canvas, I can tell you that much! I can also tell you he gets better when he creates. His speech improves, his mood improves, his movement improves. This is essential for him."

These latest creations, featuring what Garner has called, "happy, dancing naked women" and other trademark grand forms of movement, are part of the new Cube Gallery's retrospective of Garner's celebrated career. The show officially opened with a vernissage on Sunday, January 24.

Cube Gallery curator Don Monet said Garner's creative power is still formidable and is evidenced in the fact that he continues to produce tremendous artwork despite the immense physical challenges that have plagued the artist.

"He loves it, that's his life, and as far as he's concerned he's going to paint until he can't anymore," he said.

In addition to his latest creations, the show also features a number of Garner's signature sculptures and paintings, including his very first welded sculpture, 'The Searcher.'

The gallery was packed with friends and art lovers from all walks of life who gathered, not only to view his magnificent life's work, but to meet the man himself.

Arriving in a wheelchair with Tamaya at the helm, Garner's presence yielded an ovation of applause and cheers from those in attendance. It was obvious both Tamaya and her husband were humbled by the warm reception.

"The applause is still ringing in my ears," she remarked. "It meant so much to us, especially to Bruce. It's just nice to know that there are so many people out there who still care about Bruce and the work. It's nice to know that they haven't forgotten about him."

Anna Kyochynka, an Ottawa-area art lover, said she has followed Garner's career from afar for a number of years and was honoured to attend the opening of the show, which will run until the end of February.

"His work moves me and it speaks to me in ways very few works of art do," she said. "It's an honour to be in his presence. He has no idea who I am, but I know who he is and his art has touched me deeply. I can't thank him enough for the beauty he has created. I wanted to be here for that reason and that reason alone."

While being surrounded by admirers is like heaven for most artists, it was easy to see, that while Garner certainly appreciated the attention and accolades, he was also feeling a little overwhelmed and tired.

When asked for his thoughts on the opening of the show, Garner murmured, "I feel alive."

The show and Garner's refusal to give up the craft he spent years honing and perfecting are proof that a lot can change in a year. At this time last year, Garner was terribly ill, struggling to cope with a new life that left him with limited movement and speech.

Now, a year later, this talented artist and bear of a man, who once described himself as "having the soul of an 80-pound ballerina," is embracing the challenges that come with his illness and continuing to create works of art that inspire, intrigue and mesmerize.

"We've been through a lot and we're still going," Tamaya commented. "It ain't over til it's over."