Sweater Weather, New Beginnings, and the Upper Canada Native Art Gallery
There’s a quiet joy in sweater weather—the crisp air that clears away summer’s weight and invites gratitude for small moments. Yesterday brought a milestone for me: acceptance into the Upper Canada Native Art Gallery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The gallery’s historic charm and the kind words of its curator affirmed my path as an artist. Yet even in celebration, the stone still calls—an owl already waiting within soapstone and cherry wood, ready to be revealed with care.
This morning I’m sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee, taking in what feels like the best time of year. Sweater weather—cool air that clears out the heaviness of summer and makes you pause for a breath of gratitude. It’s a reminder that the simplest moments can hold so much weight.
Yesterday was a milestone for me. I was accepted into the Upper Canada Native Art Gallery in Niagara-on-the-Lake—a place my wife and I have always loved for its preserved history and calm spirit. To have my work resting there feels deeply right. The gallery owner, someone with great experience curating sculpture, offered me kind words that helped lift the doubts that so often come with being an artist. As I’ve come to learn, where art finds its home is just as important as the piece itself. My hope is that my work offers the same rest and repose to others that it has given me in creating it.
But even in this moment of gratitude, I feel the pull back to the studio. The next piece is already waiting for me in the stone—a soapstone owl on a cherry wood base. The form is there, hidden inside, and my role is to carve gently so as not to disturb it too soon. With new tools and a fresh workspace ready, I’m eager to begin. Every new work feels like a conversation with the stone, and I’m looking forward to seeing where this one leads.
From “Stuck” to Strides: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Five years ago I couldn’t have imagined where I’d be — and now I’ve carved, sold, taught, and grown in ways that feel surreal. So here’s to the next five, with my sights set even higher.
There’s a certain dark humour in admitting I felt “stuck” when asked where I saw myself in five years. But sitting with that for a while made me realize — I’ve already moved miles beyond where I thought I’d be five years ago.
I’ve shown at a gallery in the stunning Old Port of Quebec City. I’ve carved live at events there and back home in Cambridge. My range has grown so much that my old website became obsolete — I had to build a new one just to keep up with the work. And I’ve sold more pieces than I can usually keep pace with.
Oh, and we added a new family member along the way. :)
So here’s to the next five years — and the next leap.
I’m setting my sights on a few new milestones:
• A larger studio space to carve and create across multiple mediums
• A stronger bronze portfolio
• Representation in a Toronto gallery and one in the U.S.
• More teaching — especially at HSAD
• A public commission in a GTA city
That’s not too much to ask, right?
“Aim small, miss small” — but set the course. The rest follows. I’m putting it out there now: in five years, I’ll be an established name in the Canadian and American stone carving community. Bigger moves will come — but this is the foundation I’m laying now.
