Peter Sawatzky, (born 1951) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

from the

southern Manitoba Southern Manitoba is the southernmost area of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Southern Manitoba encompasses the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region, Westman Region, Central Plains Region, Eastman Region, and Pembina Valley Region, as well as the Man ...

community of Sommerfeld. He is known for his large-scale work in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

, many of animals. Notable works by Sawatzky include ''Seal River Crossing'' (2007) at

Portage and Main Portage and Main is an intersection in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, located where Portage Avenue (Route 85) and Main Street (Route 52) intersect. The corner is known as the "crossroads of Canada", due to its relative proximity to the l ...

in Winnipeg, ''Mother Polar Bear and Cubs'' (2014) at the

Assiniboine Park Zoo Assiniboine Park Zoo is a List of zoos in Canada, zoo facility located in the west end of Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Established in 1904, Assiniboine Park Zoo is managed by the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. It holds accredita ...

, and a sculpture of

Dirk Willems Dirk Willems (; also spelled Durk Willems; died 16 May 1569) was a Dutch Anabaptist martyr most famous for escaping from prison but then turning back to rescue his pursuer – who had fallen through thin ice while chasing Willems – only to be ...

at the

Mennonite Heritage Village Mennonite Heritage Village is a museum in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada telling the story of the Low German Mennonites in Canada. The museum contains both an open-air museum open seasonally, and indoor galleries open year-round. Opened in 1967 an ...

Steinbach, Manitoba Steinbach () is the List of cities in Manitoba, third-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada, and with a population of 17,806, the largest community in the Eastman Region, Manitoba, Eastman region. The city, located about southeast of ...

(2018).

Life and career

Peter Sawatzky was born in 1951 in the

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

village of

Sommerfeld Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld (; 5 December 1868 – 26 April 1951) was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and mentored many students for the new era of theoretical p ...

, near

Altona, Manitoba Altona is a town in southern Manitoba, Canada, about 100 km south-west of Winnipeg and 158 km north of Grand Forks, North Dakota. The population at the 2021 Census was 4,390 residents. Old Altona was founded in 1880 by Plautdietsch-spe ...

. He grew up on his family's farm in Sommerfeld, and attended the Commercial Art Course at

Red River College Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) is a college located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the province's largest institute of applied learning and applied research, with over 200 degree, diploma, and certificate programs, and more ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

through a scholarship. In 1974, Sawatzky discovered his true interest which combined his fascination for bird life and for carving. The first 15 years of his career were dedicated to mostly

woodcarving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ...

and illustration, along with some painting. He first carved birds in

basswood ''Tilia americana'' is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to ...

using the wildlife in the

Spruce Woods Provincial Park Spruce Woods Provincial Park is located in south-central Manitoba, Canada where the Assiniboine River passes through the delta of sediment left by the last glaciation. An area of open and stabilized sand dunes within the park provides habitat to ...

in Manitoba as models.A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker National Gallery of Canada / Musée des beaux-arts du Canada Awards and exhibitions won the artist international recognition, and by the mid 1980s, his success enabled him to make the decision to work in

and to set up his own

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

in Manitoba. In 1995, he cast a bronze sculpture entitled ''The Passage of Time'' for the south side of Winnipeg's Charleswood Bridge. One of Sawatzky's major influences is the wildlife artist and environmentalist Clarence Tillenius, who Sawatzky studied art, life drawing, and sculpting with at the Okanagan Summer Farm for one summer. He received the

Order of Manitoba The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter Liba granted royal assent to the ''Order of Manitoba Act'', the order is administered by the Governor-in ...

in recognition of his work in 2008. Later in life, Sawatzky moved near Glenboro.

Notable works

The Peter Sawatzky Sculpture Garden is currently being developed in

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

, to showcase a collection of Sawatzky's sculptures at the Riverbank Discovery Centre. The collection will be themed after animals commonly found in the province.

References

1951 births Canadian sculptors Canadian male sculptors Members of the Order of Manitoba Artists from Manitoba Canadian Mennonites Living people People from Pembina Valley Region, Manitoba Mennonite artists Red River College alumni {{Canada-sculptor-stub