Barbara Paterson

Artist Statement

The enduring nature of bronze appears to belie my intuitive approach.  I enjoy working with this medium; it allows me to express my explorations of the world around us.  A key element of my work is my dedicated observation of and concern with all aspects, from humor to pathos, of the human condition.  Humanity is what interests me.  I want to represent the personality not the persona.

By its nature the final robust bronze sculpture, with its involved evolutionary process, offered me the means to catch that precise instant, that precise glance that speaks volumes.  My job was to meld the tender glances, gestures, and figurative lines to capture the critical moment

Biography

Internationally renowned artist Barbara Paterson, primarily known for her bronze figurative works, enjoys expressing her whimsical explorations of the world around us.  Humor is evident in her art, from dancing bears around the rim of a Bear Bowl to hot Dogs eyed by a passing Dachshund. A key element of Barbara’s work is her involvement with the human condition, where tender glances, gestures and figurative lines capture moments in time.

Barbara specializes in a variety of sculpture media including wax, stone, bronze and welded steel. 

Barbara has sculpted numerous public commissions, including the  “Famous 5” monuments in Calgary’s Olympic Square and on Parliament Hill, Ottawa.  A detail image from the “Famous 5” monuments was featured in a Canada Post stamp in October 1999.  It is also found on the Canadian Fifty Dollar Bill. She has completed the Lois Hole sculpture for St. Albert and the Our Emily (Emily Carr) sculpture in Victoria, British Columbia. She has publicly exhibited her art across Canada, in Bulgaria, Singapore and New York. 

Barbara holds a Diploma in Fine Arts from the University of Alberta with a major in Painting and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Sculpture from the University of Alberta.  She is honored on their Alumni Wall of Recognition.  She lives in Edmonton with her husband John.

Professional Training

BFA – Major in sculpture – University of Alberta 1988
Diploma in Art – Major in Painting – University of Alberta
Landscape and Figure Studies – Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta
Portraiture – Morley College – London, England
Bronze Program – Red Deer College 1990
Steel Welding – University of Alberta, Spring Session 1993

Exhibitions

Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of The Persons Case, Willock and Sax Gallery (2009)
Famous 5 Foundation Maquette Tour – all Provincial Capitals and House of Commons November 30, 1999 to summer 2001.
Opperthauser Gallery, Stony Plain (1991)
Front Gallery, Alberta Society of Artists’ Group Show (1991)
Devonian Gardens – Calgary (1992)
Opperthauser Gallery, Stony Plain (1993)
Alberta House, New York – Alberta Society of Artists (1993)
Canadian Sculptors’ Association – Toronto Exhibit (1993)
Canadian Sculptors’ Association Travelling Exhibit – Kelowna, Banff, Montreal (1993)
Body Double – “Two Artists Present” – Harcourt House Gallery (1994)
Profiles Gallery – “Identity Map” – St. Albert (1995)
House of Humour and Satire, Gabrovo, Bulgaria (1995), (1997)
Muttart Public Art Gallery, Calgary (October, 1996)
Alberta Society of Artists – Major Alberta Cities (July 1996-Sept. 1997)
Front Gallery – “Figure It Out” (March, 1997)
Singapore ArtExpo (April, 1997)
Alberta Society of Artists – “Hands That Shape” (Calgary/Edmonton 1999)
Prairie Gallery – “A Rose is a Rose…” (Grand Forks, B.C. 1999)
Willock & Sax Gallery – Waterton Lakes National Park (1999) (2000)
Medal Design for Governor General’s Persons Awards (Youth)
Waterton National Park Heritage Gallery (1990)
WECAN – Juried exhibition – Harcourt House Gallery
Alberta Sculptors’ Association – Boardwalk, Edmonton
Fine Arts Gallery – Sculpture Exhibit – University of Alberta
Group Exhibition – Harcourt House Gallery
“Two Artists Present” – Harcourt House Gallery, Edmonton
Citadel Theatre – Women in the Arts
Muttart Conservatory – Sculptors’ Association of Alberta
Alberta Society of Artists – Front Gallery
Marika Gallery – Banff National Park
Collections and Public Commissions
Emily Carr, Victoria, British Columbia (pending)
Lois Hole, St. Albert City Hall
Grant MacEwan College, Faculty of Business, Edmonton
Father Coady, Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Museum of Dogs – American Kennel Club – St. Louis, Missouri
Edmonton of Opera Society (Irving Guttman)
Edmonton Catholic School Board (Life Size Bronze – installed 1992)
Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Outdoor Bench Sculpture – City of St. Albert (installed 1994)
MacKay Avenue Museum Archives (Dr. William MacKay Bronze Bust – installed 1994)
Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
City of Red Deer – Life Size Bronze Sculpture (installed 1995)
International Association of Counselling – Sculpture Commemorating 90th Birthday of Founding President
Famous Five Foundation Monument - Calgary unveiling October 18, 1999
     (unveiled by Governor General of Canada)
- Ottawa unveiling October 18, 2000
     (unveiled by Prime Minister of Canada)
Status of Women Youth Medal – Design (2000)
Waterton/Glacier International Peace Park Year of the Great Bear Heritage Awards, 2001.
Medal Design for Governor General’s Persons Awards (Youth)
Private Collections across Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Italy, the United States

Awards and Honors

YWCA, Women of Achievement Nominee, 1998
City of Edmonton, Salute to Excellence Award, 1999
Named Paul Harris Fellow, Edmonton Downtown Rotary Club, 1999
Canada Post .46 stamp “Women are Persons” Sculpture of Nellie McClung, 2000
Global TV “Woman of Vision”, 2000
University of Alberta Alumni Award of Excellence (Alumni Wall of Recognition) 2000
Government of Canada Volunteer Award, Medal presented by Minister of Justice, Hon. Anne McLellan, 2001

Professional Associations

Alberta Society of Artists
Sculptors’ Association of Alberta
Canadian Sculptors’ Association
WECAN Society
Travel Grants
Canadian Scandinavian Foundation; Finnair (Helsinki, Finland)
Canada Council Travel Grant (Maquette Tour)