|
Another almost forgotten sculptor again is going to get his place at last. The information is not a lot but it is all I have been able to find.
I learned from his daughter years ago this little story and the rest of it comes from other sources. It seems his first job was to do the stonework for the Post Office at the corner of Charles and Yonge in downtown Toronto. From the money he made for doing it was used to bring his family here from Scotland. I do not have the date for the building of that building.
The next big job he did was the figures on the Whitney block near the Ontario Parliament buildings in Toronto. Fritz Winkler mentioned his coming to his rescue when he ran into trouble executing the feet and hands of the many figures that decorate near the top of this tower. I can believe his plight for at the heighth of the figures and looking up they have to look right. It is not the same problem when they are only up several feet off the ground.
The other problem was the employment shortage at that time, around 1930 when money was scarce and lots of people out of work. It was hard to get men to work that high up under all kinds of weather. Another problem was the noise for the hospital in that area. I took photos with my zoom lens and got what I could many years ago. It is interesting to see them after gaining the insight to how they got finished.
It seems that the high jobs were always given to Charles and his associates. He turns up in executing the "Gargoyles" for the tower for the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. I am told that this was done around 1927. At such a spot the weather got to him and he developed pneumonia and had to return to Toronto where he finally got better. It would be interesting to learn more about that story. It came from his daughter.
I have left the War memorials last and there are only two that I can locate. The first one is situated on University Avenue just north of Dundas Street. It has two small "Lions at the base where the bronze soldier stands in all his glory.
According to Merle Foster (sculptor) the "Lions" are that small because the stone given to the artist were just that small. So it is no fault of the artist in this situation. The next War Memorial of a soldier is in Kenora, Ontario. I have only a small reproduction of it in my collection.
The only faces or portraits I have record about appear on the entrance for Trinity College in Toronto. Of course there is no signature on them and little record also. I talked to the Archivist Mr. Pilon and confirmed this fact.
There is one small church that has decorations done by Charles but I have not been able to gain access to it. It is on Avenue Road just north of davenport. It is on the next corner north on the right.
Charles did not show any work in the Art associations during his life so I cannot mention much more about his life. He did work for the Toronto, Globe and Mail but I have no record of the history when and what he did to make a living.
I have not talked to his daughter in over 20 years and do not know if she is still alive. It is too bad that I did not get back to her and asked her more questions. Perhaps one day someone will find the information to make a proper biography. I do not know any other artist who befriended him during his living in Ontario.
|
|
