PORTRAIT OF A TALENTED MAN

A daughter shares her love and admiration for her dad and his work

My dad, Paul Giles, was born in 1928 and grew up on the streets of St. Henri, a tough suburb of Montreal. He had a fairly rough childhood that didn’t afford him many opportunities. Having quit school in Grade 3 to work to help support his family, he spent his working life doing manual labour, including stints in the Arctic in his early 20s.

When he returned to Montreal, he began his career as a painting contractor, which he continued until the age of 87 when a stroke brought that to a halt. He is fortunate that the only lasting effect from the stroke is a slight limp. I am convinced that this was God’s way of telling him that he really needed to stop working.

As a young commercial painter, he painted bridges in Montreal harness-free; clearly, this was before labour laws were instituted. Later, he would make a name for himself in the suburb of Westmount painting homes for some of the wealthiest residents of the city, including federal judges, highranking lawyers and professional athletes, among others. He built long-standing business relationships that were a testament to his good work, as well as his kindness and trustworthiness.

My dad is also an incredibly talented artistic painter. In fact, he is one of several talented artists in the Giles clan, including his late mother, his brother Jeremie, and several nieces and nephews.

From an early age, Dad sketched and produced paintings, never to be sold but simply to enjoy and share with family and friends. All his paintings have a story behind them, including one of some Inuit boys from his time in the Arctic, along with a homeless man sitting on the streets of Montreal, and a little boy walking on the beach, done in memory of a client’s grandson who passed away.

In 2010 he created a 20-foot mural that sits in the cafeteria of a food bank in Montreal, inspired by the scenery from his train trips to Ottawa to visit his family. After his stroke, it took several months for him to get back to his art, but with paints and canvases given to him by his brother, he continues to paint, finding inspiration in the world around him.

On canvas, he has painted wildlife, homes, forest scenes, water scenes, people, cartoon characters and much more over the years. He has used materials such as oils, acrylics and even latex house paint out of practicality—long before using house paint became a somewhat recognized material for artists.

That my dad was never able to make a living from his talent is unfortunate, but the happiness his work brings him and others is, as he puts it, good enough for him. ■