New Life…New Beginnings

Richard Tosczak is a Belgian-born, Edmonton-based figurative sculptor. He studied philosophy and modernist sculpture, working in steel, at the University of Alberta, and pursued further artistic training in the Loire Valley with Martine Vaugel, first director of figurative sculpture at the New York Academy of Art. Tosczak’s creative work is rooted in the expressiveness of the human form.

In this representation of pioneer motherhood, a mother is playing with her small child in a universal and timeless throwing game, catching him directly over her head and lowering him for an intimate moment of touching foreheads. This image of good humor, play, and childhood – combined with a sensitivity to William Hawrelak Park (with it’s varied and joyful uses) – highlights the role of family, historically and currently, in the use of this land. In addition to the motif of family and play, Tosczak intends to honor the courage and perseverance in overcoming the hardship and isolation of the pioneer experience by distilling the monument to the symbolically unified form of mother and child – an image that evokes a sense of hope for the future as well as a grounding in the past. The circular composition of the child in a semi-fetal position, the mother’s arms, and their touching heads unifies the overall form while creating an intimate interior space emphasizing the mother’s protective role. This alludes to a circle of life and rebirth – a cycle which is the guiding principal of daily life for those who break and work the land. The drapery is light and allows tension in the body to show through, maintaining the expressiveness of the human form. Tosczak chose drapery over period clothing to allow viewers opportunity for universal and timeless interpretations. This woman is Pioneer, but she is also First Nations, recent immigrant, and so on. This sculpture both celebrates the joys of life amidst toil and isolation and the pioneer experience characterized by courage and perseverance.