Reflecting on the past year, this homage to Sam Haskins was my first real piece of pandemic art - and it hasn’t stopped since then. I’ve been one of the few and truly fortunate artists in Calgary this past year that have been able to say things have only improved.

A year ago, as my business shut down and the rest of my performing arts season was cancelled, I found myself with a sudden, rare abundance of time. After allowing a period of wallowing in dismay, I set my sights on personal work and self expression as a means of understanding the changed world.

My studio lease was ending and due to Covid it felt like letting it go was the only option left. So my impulse was to ask ‘what are the final pieces of art that I want to make in this space?’ From this frustration and need to create a send-off work, this image was born.

For years I’ve loved the original, “Figgins (1961, Johannesburg),” for its complex arrangement of elements, its warm connection between photographer and subject, and the less literal interpretation of a photographer’s self portrait.

As I’ve come to discover over the past year “the heart of the artist” is very much what has been inspiring my personal work. I think creating this image, an act of turning the lens inward, is where I started to figure that out. I’ve been a community cheerleader for years, and have made so many young artists my influences; this want was a natural evolution of that exploration.

So a year on, as I finally realize the ‘why’ behind much of my personal work, I wanted to share this piece with you again. I’ll also be posting the making-of video this week :)