Regina artist uses his talent to support local shelters
Rby the Dog River Howlers rugby club, whose members spearheaded the Regina fundraising gala.
Mosaic bid $10,000 for the painting, which now hangs in its corporate office.
At last year’s gala, Mosaic and Young’s Equipment got into a bidding war for the First Nation’s-inspired painting Fogarty created. The charity was the ultimate winner, when the competing egina visual artist Ladd Fogarty has been blessed with happy childhood memories of special times spent with his dad.
But he’s well aware that not everyone is as lucky.
So he created a painting that brings back memories of canoeing and fishing with his father in northern Saskatchewan, which will be auctioned off Saturday night at the Bowties & Sweethearts Valentines Gala, to raise money for the four domestic abuse shelters supported by the LeaderPost Christmas Cheer Fund
“We have to have these places because some dads are not nice,” the retired high school art teacher said.
This is the third year Fogarty has donated a painting created for the fundraiser.
The first was inspired bidders agreed that Young’s would pay $28,000 for the original painting and Mosaic would donated $25,000 for a full-sized, giclee print.
“That was kind of a thrill to see that happen,” Fogarty said.
While he’s optimistic this year’s painting will also raise a substantial amount for the Christmas Cheer Fund, Fogarty admitted, “I don’t expect anything like last year. That was beyond any expectation. Whatever it goes for is good.”
Fogarty donated 80 to 100 hours to create each of the paintings for the Bowties & Sweethearts live auctions.
He retired last year, after 32 years of teaching, which allowed him to focus more on his art.
“I was able to concentrate over an extended period of time a little bit easier this time, where I didn’t have to find space. So that was nice,” Fogarty said.
Titled On the way to Puskwakau, Fogarty’s four-bysix-foot (1.2-by-1.8-metre) acrylic painting depicts a tranquil setting with a stream opening up to a lake.
“The air is sweet and there is a stillness that enriches the soul,” Fogarty wrote in his artist statement.
“These are the kind of memories every child should have.”
Limited-edition prints of the painting are also being sold, available for $350. They can be purchased at the gala, or by emailing Karl Fix, chairman of the gala’s organizing committee, at karl_v_fix@hotmail.com.
Anyone interested in bidding on auction items, but unable to attend the gala, is asked to contact Fix, to arrange for him to place a bid on their behalf.