Prairie skies

We woke to overcast skies this morning but as the day wore on, the thunder clouds parted and we were treated to an ever changing display overhead.

Each time we’ve visited Canada, I have coveted a Hudson’s Bay blanket. One of the woollen ones. This time, with one half-empty suitcase, I thought we’d fulfil that wish, which is why we were in the Hudson’s Bay department store in Saskatoon first thing this morning. The store was empty except for us and we spent some time amidst the red-green-yellow-blue stripes looking for the one we wanted. It took a while, because, look:

The gap on the shelf is where we took the blanket of our choice from, but really, is there any wonder we felt we needed to check twice that this really is one of the traditional blankets that has just been folded so that all the colours are inside?

Satisfied that yes, there were colours in that blanket and yes, it had the authentic label and certification - Made in England, would you believe? - we went over to the service desk to complete the transaction with the most miserable and humourless woman in Canada. Perhaps she was not having a good day. Maybe she was feeling unwell. Whatever the reason, her manner and attitude did her or her company no favours whatsoever and having watched her remove the security device, we took our blanket and the sales receipt and left.

As we left the store, the alarm sounded. I fished out the receipt from my bag and my Hero lifted the blanket for the staff member to check. Sure enough, there was a second device in there that had triggered the alarm. Grrr.

On this comparatively chilly morning, our next plan was to visit the rRemai mModern Art Gallery. Yes, I find that rR and mM a bit annoying, so will manage with an R and an M from now on! I had read good things about the Remai and, 1as we’d passed by last evening, I looked forward to our visit. An easy underground car park with an elevator directly into the atrium is one of the advantages of a modern structure, so within minutes of buying our blanket, we were here. The current installation in the atrium is a collection of those metal reflecting mobiles, attributed to Nick Cave and entitled Spinner Forest.

We decided to head upstairs and begin on the top level with Picasso.

Oh. In the style of those game shows which present the competitor with “here’s what you could have won”, we read the signage on the wall.

Never mind. We’ll move right along over the way to the next gallery. But there too, the sign was by the door.

Fortunately, the view was spectacular.

Though the floor to ceiling glass made it rather scary to get too close to the edge, but we all agreed, Saskatoon is a fine city and the river adds to the attraction.

Anyway, we were here to see art, so let’s get on with it, eh?

We’d not heard of the next featured artist, Denyse Thomasos, so had no idea what was beyond the closed doors just along the way. We’d not done our homework either, so hadn’t prepared for what we might see here.

What greeted us was a collection of large works filled with colour and pattern.

I was immediately captivated by the colour and the energy in the brushstrokes and it wasn’t long before these large pieces found a way into all of our hearts.

Watching a short video of the artist at work only endeared her and her art to us further, especially her later pieces.

I appreciated the inclusion of some smaller works and sketches too. It’s always good to be reminded that artists don’t produce masterpieces without some planning, practice and sampling!

It was in this room, viewing some of our most favourite works that we noticed the commentary on the wall referred to the artist in the past tense and subsequently, a sentence began “After her death…”

We learned that this exuberant artist had died tragically in 2012 following an allergic reaction. She was at the height of her career.

The collection of paintpots in the glass vitrine seemed particularly poignant, but thankfully the size and scale of the works on show here told the stronger story. It was a great exhibition, we were really glad we’d seen it and learned about Denyse Thomasos too.

There was one more exhibition to see: one of Métis artworks. The star of the show was right there in front of us as we went into the gallery: The Sky Vest by Katherine Boyer was an absolute gem.

The construction of the waistcoat and the beading were meticulous. Exquisite. Not just the front, either…

The back was equally amazing, with every inch worked with beautifully tensioned and remarkably even beadwork. There’s a piece about the artist and their work here.

There was a great deal to see and to admire in this whole gallery and we were fortunate to have an opportunity to chat to a docent who could tell us more about the works, all of which had stories to tell. (She was also able to recommend a great restaurant for dinner tonight as well, which was a bonus!)

Though our visit to the Remai had got off to a slow start, it gathered pace and we left feeling delighted that we had come. It was time for the next place on our list now…not far from here but completely different!

The Ukrainian Museum of Canada came highly recommended in our guidebook and having observed quite a few references to the Ukrainian population here and in Manitoba, we were interested to learn more.

There was quite a collection of treasure here, mostly donated by those who had arrived from Europe around the turn of the 20th century and until WW1. As always, it was the wonderful craftwork that immediately caught my eye.

For here were further examples of amazing beadwork, exquisite embroidery and beautiful weaving. Handmade costumes and formal dress to be worn on special occasions were on display with background details of the techniques and workmanship.

Whilst I was looking closely at the traditional pysanky (eggs) and marvelling at the fine detail and exquisite symmetry, my Hero was engrossed in the events which motivated these people to travel so far into the unknown and begin a new life.

This small but interesting exhibition left us with a choice - if we left now, we had time to visit one more site we’d noted on our list. Shall we go or shall we linger?

Well, none of us wanted to return to the hotel when there was time to see more, so off we went to the north of the city, to Wanuskewin.

The stiff breeze that was making for those ever changing skies blew us from the car to the entrance here, in the open countryside.

Our late-afternoon arrival was perfectly timed as all the school and summer camp groups of children were returning to their buses and leaving the place rather peaceful!

We stepped inside one of the exhibitions first, my eyes falling immediately on this lovely quit by Kit Loewen entitled Quiet Miracles.

This panel by Monique Martin seemed very representative of the landscape we’ve been travelling through during the last couple of weeks too.

But we were here to learn about the indigenous culture, really.

In particular I was interested to learn about the Cree language. We’d all thought that the First Nation Tribal stories were purely oral and were surprised to find there was a written alphabet. On seeing the examples of written Cree, I was curious to learn how it had developed. Here was the answer. We watched a video about the alphabet and though all still wasn’t that clear, it was a start!

(Though it’s a different and more detailed video, the same teacher can be found here explaining the Star Chart of the Alphabet above)

Here were more fabulous examples of craftwork too, more colour, pattern and texture - all the things I love! But it was time we were going really and there were still a couple of photos I wanted to take that required a bit of a walk.

The two bears had caught my eye as we’d arrived, their simple forms standing proudly on top of a couple of large boulders.

Both bears were in the same style, carved to take advantage of the natural stone textures by Stewart Steinhauer I would love to give them a home, if only they’d fit in my suitcase!!

Perhaps it’s as well they don’t. For now, I’m happy with my blanket and maybe I will just have to take inspiration from these beauties and create my own sculptures.

Having said that, I’ve been inspired by so many things today, it will be hard to know where to begin!