The Deliverance, By Darlene Gait I see that you have been touched by the creator to give us hope... What a gift. Someone somewhere told this legend of you a thousand generations ago, and here you are, making your appearance as we all turn away and continue to wait. We are sensitive, we two legged's and require a constant flow of nurturing. Please don't be discouraged 'Spirit Bear,' we know you are there and know it's time to make the turn. When we are born again, we'll celebrate your arrival with such gratitude. The past will transform itself into a new reality, as we embrace your message of peace, with such love that tears of happiness will flow from one human to another. So go ahead, let your spirit soar full circle and don't be discouraged, because we know you are there. Time heals all wounds. Canada is a country full of proud men and women who love it’s culture, personality, and landscape. Some of these people incorporate their love of Canada into their everyday lives. Artists and poets utilize song, paintings, poems, and sculptures to help portray these feelings. Darlene Gait, Connie Kaldor, Christian Maltais, and Octave Crémazie all utilized their creative talents to explain their love for Canada. The Deliverance, a painting by Darlene Gait, depicts a beautiful Canadian landscape, and includes two very Canadian animals, the polar bear and the goose. With a light colour scheme and paying specific attention to detail, this painting evokes a sense of peacefulness and serenity. These feelings are intensified by the addition of the geese and the bear, who make a perfect addition to the scene. I picked this piece for various reasons. Darlene is a very talented artist, and this piece shows easily to it’s audience the beauty of Canada. We can see rolling green grass, tall evergreens, a winding river, mystic mountains in the background, and a peaceful sky. I also picked this piece because of the portrayal of the bear. By also painting it’s spirit, we can obviously tell Darlene’s heritage to be aboriginal, and it also helps us to see the bear as wise and gentle, as opposed to threatening and fierce. Lastly, I chose this painting because Darlene accompanies each painting of hers with a poem, almost as a verbal telling of the story in the painting. This seemed quite appropriate for a poetry/art project, and I really enjoyed being able to experience both her painting and poem. The most dominant image for me in the painting is the Spirit Bear. This decision is also aided by the accompanying poem, which talks about the legend of the Spirit Bear and it’s message. By showing the bear’s spirit, she is personifying the bear, which increases the story in the painting. It becomes not just a bear, but an all knowing creature which is wiser than us. It also symbolizes for me the spirit in all animals, and creates a feeling of interconnection between humanity and the spirit world. Hymn for Pincher Creek By Connie Kaldor I look to the hills from whence cometh salvation I find strength in their quiet roll When I feel myself troubled I look to those hills And the quiet green quiets my soul Oh I never will leave my hills of salvation No you never will get me to roam For all the silver and gold that this world can hold Is nothing compared to a home Oh there's some that say take all you can from this world It's dog eat dog from the start But what good is your finery if in your last days You cannot find peace in your heart Chorus There's power that comes from money and fear Oh what man can do But the power that rests in those God given hills Is the power I know to be true Hymn for Pincher Creek is a song written by Connie Kaldor which describes her feelings towards the hills of Pincher Creek in Alberta. I chose this song because I felt that Connie’s emotions in regards to the land were true and deep. You can feel her passion in the lyrics, and nothing else I had read portrayed them with such intensity. Since we had already done poems in class which had portrayed the landscape of Canada, I wanted to focus more so on the feelings evoked by both being Canadian, and the landscape of Canada. Connie describes quite clearly what she feels for the land, “...hills of salvation” (1st line, chorus). She considers it home, and worth more than all the treasures in the world. She finds in them strength, peace, and a power that can be found no where else. She portrays to the audience her strong beliefs that having a home dear to your heart is the most important thing, and that her wonderful home is in Canada. Her love for Canada in particular is not portrayed as much in this song, yet by researching her life and reading the lyrics to some of her other songs, you can gain a beautiful picture of Canada and the beauty of the people in it. It is almost as if each one of her songs is a piece to a mental puzzle of Canada, which once you have finished, is glorious and free, but also real and full of spirit. The most dominant image that Connie portrays in her song is the hills of Pincher Creek. She says, “...when I feel myself troubled I look to those hills And the quiet green quiets my soul” (3rd and 4th lines of the 1st verse). She is describing to us how she finds salvation and answers by looking to the land. By listening to the song, we are instilled with a belief that if we were to truly ‘look’ to the land, we would find the answers we need. images/Maltais_Christian2.jpg Mon Lac, painted by Christian Maltais, is a painting of the beautiful landscape of British Columbia. Mon Lac, which translates to My Lake, depicts Canada as being majestic, the dominant imagery being the mountains, grande and full of presence. By using blue to paint their creases, he takes away their look of stony frigidness, and replaces it with serenity. I chose this painting because I think the artist’s portrayal of Canada in comparison to most is quite unique. To me, it looks like the fairy tale version of Canada. Christian paints the landscape not to be completely accurate, but almost to show it’s human side. The creases in the mountains are the nation’s laugh lines, the dark trees it’s serious edge, and the lake is Canada’s soul, calm and serene, the blood of all living life. To me the image is surreal, something which we are striving to be, yet have not accomplished, or striving to return to, yet to which we cannot turn back,. It does not appear to be a land in which humans would fit, yet a place where fairies and spirits run free. Le Canada By Octave Crémazie SALUT, ô ciel de ma patrie ! Salut, ô noble Saint-Laurent ! Ton nom dans mon âme attendrie Répand un parfum enivrant. O Canada, fils de la France, Qui te couvrit de ses bienfaits, Toi, notre amour, notre espérance, Qui pourra t'oublier jamais ? Sur les plages du nouveau monde, Pareil au phare radieux Qui guide sur la mer profonde Le nautonier aventureux, Tu fais rayonner la lumière De tes souvenirs glorieux, Et tu racontes à la terre Les grands exploits de nos aïeux. Dans tes verdoyantes campagnes, Où séjourne le vrai bonheur, Le Canadien a pour compagnes Les plus saintes vertus du coeur. Fidèle au culte de ses pères, De leur exemple il suit la loi, Et fuyant les moeurs étrangères, Il garde sa langue et sa foi. Ah ! puisse cette union sainte Qui fit nos ancêtres si grands, Ne recevoir jamais d'atteinte Par les crimes de tes enfants. Et si jamais pour te défendre Sonnait le grand jour du combat, Comme autrefois qu'ils sachent prendre Le glaive vainqueur du soldat. Heureux qui dévouant sa vie A la gloire de te servir, Sous ton beau ciel, ô ma patrie ! Peut dire, à son dernier soupir : O Canada ! fils de la France, Toi qui me couvris de bienfaits, Toi, mon amour, mon espérance, Qui pourra t'oublier jamais ? Canada By Octave Crémazie Translation by Kaitlyn Schmeiser HELLO, o sky of my homeland! Hello, o noble Saint. Lawrence! Your name awaits in my soul Releasing an intoxicating smell O Canada, son of France, Who covers you with it’s kindness, You, our love, our hope, Who could ever forget you? On the beaches of the New World, Like the radiant lighthouse Who guides on the deep sea The adventurous sailor, You make the light radiant Of your glorious memories, And you tell to the Earth The great feats of our land. In your green countryside, Where true happiness rests, The Canadian has for countryside The most saintly virtues of heart. Faithful to the cults of his fathers, Of their example he follows the law, And fleeing unknown morals, He guards his language and his faith. Oh! Since this saintly union Which created our great ancestors, Will never receive attainment By the crimes of your children. And if ever to defend yourself Sound the great day of combat, Like other times they know to take The triumphant glaive of the soldier. Happy are those who devote their life To the glory of serving you, Under your beautiful sky, o my homeland! To say, at his last breath: O Canada! Son of France, You who covers me with kindness, You, my love, my hope, Who could ever forget you? Le Canada, by Octave Crémazie, is a poem which describes the feelings experienced by a proud canadian. While not describing specifically the landscape of Canada, Crémazie’s poem describes the feelings and passion a Canadian portrays as he greets his land. While specific remarks are made about Canada’s landscape, they are few. “...sky of my homeland!...noble Saint Lawrence!” (1st and 2nd lines, 1st stanza) are some examples. I chose this poem because I love the way that Crémazie shows his passion for Canada. He uses an interesting analogy about Canada and a lighthouse, and creates a whimsically poetic way to look at our nation. While my translation may not be very lyrical, the french version of the poem flows beautifully, and has depth which is not easily translated. I also chose this poem because I love seeing the differences between French Canadians and English Canadians. It can be viewed in everything they do, including their poetry. Notice the specific lines in the poem which indicate, without knowing the author of the poem, it’s origin. “...son of France,” (5th line, 1st stanza), and “He guards his language and his faith.” (8th line, 3rd stanza) are such examples. I find it interesting how much more the French people talk of their culture compared to the English, and of their determination to not let it be forgotten. Crémazie’s poem brings forth a lot of personal feelings and thoughts with the line, “Who could ever forget you? (8th line, 1st stanza) Being a general statement, it means different things for different people, and in me brings to memory all of the wonderful things I have seen in this country; Orca whales, boreal forests, sand dunes, green valleys, frost covered mornings, and fog covered nights. The imagery is wonderful, and special to each person as they remember their own experiences. Le Canada, Mon Lac, Deliverance, and Hymn to Pincher Creek, all depict the beauty of Canada. By using descriptive words and creative painting, these artists and poets allow us to create our own picture of Canada in our minds. While all very different in style and story, each art depicts a different way for us to newly discover and explore Canada. These pieces are only a few of many millions created by talented Canadian artists who are proud of their heritage and land. By experiencing many different songs, poems, paintings, and sculptures which represent Canada, we gain a new appreciation for it’s culture, personality, and landscape. Mon Lac and Deliverance are two very contrasting ways of looking at Canada. While Deliverance is painted in a very precise, detailed, and accurate style, Mon Lac is more on the creative side, more so a dream world. I do not think this contrast is due to the fact that Darlene Gait, the painter of Deliverance, is aboriginal, while Christian Maltais is French Canadian, but because of their different artistic styles. While picking my paintings I wanted to choose two which depicted basically the same scene, but were so completely different that it was hard to notice their similarities. These two paintings fit that description completely. I do not think that these differences in style are a result of heritage, but more so personality. The dreamer paints Utopia, and the realist paints it like it is. Le Canada and Hymn for Pincher Creek are also very contrasting works. I really wanted to choose one english and one french poem to be able to show the class the differences there are in their style. These differences are completely influenced by their culture and language, and many people who are not bilingual do not know the considerable differences between all french and english literature. Language to the French people is everything, so many of their poems are worded precisely and eloquently. They roll off the tongue when you speak them aloud, and while they aren't always clear in their literary meaning, there is symbolism behind every word. English poems are quite contrasting in that in general, they are more straight forward. They worry less with about the eloquence of the words, and focus more on the story they tell. While the poems and paintings each portrayed their own view of Canada, I found that Mon Lac and Le Canada suited each other, while Hymn for Pincher Creek and Deliverance went together as well. This is interesting in that Le Canada and Mon Lac are both of French origin, and Deliverance and Hymn for Pincher Creek of English. Canada is portrayed differently by each artist, yet the picture formed by considering all of the pieces together suited Canada to a ‘T’. Simply by being contrasting they are portraying Canada’s diversity and culture, two of the most important and dominant features of our nation. images/Portrait.jpg Darlene Gait developed her love of painting during her youth on Vancouver Island. Using Coast Salish, her First Nations heritage, and nature as her guides, she vividly paints landscapes, animals, and her First Nations people. Darlene takes extra care in insuring the historical and scientific accuracy of the scenes, as she considers her art to be both an oral and visual history of her people. Through her paintings and poetry she tries to let the viewer experience her emotions and thoughts. She hopes to connect them with the story of the painting, something which she regards as a very unique experience. Her paintings often depict her passion for protecting the environment, for diversity, humanity, and for wilderness. She also paints the dreams she experiences, and accompanies each painting with a poem. Mrs. Gait’s paintings are acrylics done on watercolour paper, and can be found in both public and private galleries all around the world. Mrs. Gait is recognized internationally as being an accomplished artist. Christian Maltais is a French-Canadian who grew up and resides in Québec. He obtained both a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Philosophy before leaving them to paint at age 39, 23 years after he began teaching himself how. Incorporating both old and contemporary techniques, he is gaining recognition throughout Canada as being someone to look out for in the coming years. By using layers of oil, he creates a 3-Dimensional world for the viewers to discover. Many older artists are now collecting his Canadian landscape works, such as Albini Leblanc. Mr. Maltais has won distinguished awards since his début, such as 1st prize at the Master’s Symposium in 1999, 1st prize for Canada in the “Modern” section at the 2000 International Art Contest, and in May of 2000 he was nominated to become a member of the official Institute of Figurative Art of Canada. Octave Crémazie was born in Québec on the 16th of April, 1827. One of the most important French Canadian romantic writers, he is considered the father of French Canadian poetry. He studied at the Little Seminary of Québec where teachers would remark on his memory and passion for literature. He owned a bookstore with his brothers for a living, which became a cultural gathering place for the québecois people. They would hold literary group gatherings which included the most famous French Canadian poets of that time. “Les soirées canadiennes” translated to ‘Canadian Evenings’, was the name of a magazine he and his friends put together, which in 1855 published one of Crémazie’s poems, “Le vieux soldat canadien”. This poem brought Crémazie instant fame. Many of his poems to follow were filled with patriotic feeling, and influenced by French romanticism. His business suffered difficulties and in shame, Crémazie fled to France under a different name. After writing a journal about the siege of Paris, he died at Le Havre in 1879. Connie Kaldor was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1953. Her entire family loved music and as a child, Connie was always singing. She studied theater at the University of Alberta, and after receiving her degree, performed with different alternative theater companies in Newfoundland and Toronto. Missing the music from he childhood, she left the theater and headed back to her roots in Western Canada, where she became a folk singer. Writing her own music and playing the piano and guitar, she became a unique performer and began starring in Canadian folk song festivals. She then toured India, China, Europe, and the United States, and in 1989 she won a Juno Award for Best Children’s Album. Connie has released 9 records and in 1996 she wrote the musical Dust and Dreams. She now lives in Montréal with her husband, music producer Paul Campagne, and their 2 sons.
