Written By Darryl Kicul March 2025

Last October, the National Capital Network of Sculptures (NCNS) hosted Sculpture Expo at the Glebe Community Centre. During the show guests had the opportunity to vote for the “People’s Choice Award.  Don Lewis was one of two artists chosen. 

Don is a sculptor and stone carver. He uses his tools and his stone to tell stories, teach lessons and to help heal the natural world. His work is detailed and often invokes discussion.

Growing up in Sarnia, Ontario Don spent his formative years exploring the woods and creeks near his home. He recalls that his earliest influence was the children’s book “My Side of the Mountain”. He began to do sketches and watercolours of the wildlife that he encountered. He was also developing a growing awareness of the damage that humans were causing to the natural environment that he was exploring. With this background, he travelled to The University of Guelph where he completed a degree in Biology. All of his electives were focused on fine art, specifically drawing and sculpture. While at University, Don was introduced to sculpting by well known sculptor, John Fillion (his work Reclining Figure is a public artwork on St. Clair Ave in Toronto), who was one of his professors. He began to explore the works of Henri Moore and Constantin Brancusi as well as the more realistic works of Rodin and Michelangelo.  He fell in love with the bite of the chisel and the power and permanence of stone. Don found that using stone as a medium allowed him to capture the power of the life force and at the same time the fragility of life.

After graduation, Don started an environmental consulting company and started a family. These two strands would have a significant impact on his artistic development. The cancer death of his first wife left him with a business and two children under 5 years of age. His second wife, Andrea with whom he also had a child, is a great supporter of his artistic endeavours. On the business side, Don began to feel a growing disconnect between his environmental principles and the direction that his industry clients were going. The call of the studio was growing louder.

After a move to Ottawa, the path to returning to his art was much clearer. Don discovered Smith and Barber Sculpture  Atelier and Danny Barber (NCNS Feature Artist June 7, 2019). It became a place where he could take courses, learn new techniques, get technical support and share ideas with other artists. The “open studio” time at the Atelier really helped him discover the direction he wanted his art to go in.

Don is a sculptor who works by taking material away until the desired sculpture is achieved. As he begins a new project, he usually spends a significant amount of time doing research. A recent piece completed for the Canadian Stone Carving Festival called “Bourdons and Bluets” reflects the intersection of his research and his art. He learned how bumblebees were under threat from diseases brought to North America by honey bees imported from Europe. His work shows the connection between bumblebees and blueberries and illustrates how one can not survive without the other.

Although Don designs his work to be appealing to the eye, he also intends to create works that challenge the viewer or to elicit a certain amount of discomfort. He is pleased when the work generates discussion among the viewers. His current focus is on carving stone that reflects both the enduring quality of nature but also the fragility of life. He often explores how nature is vulnerable  to our actions and how we have a responsibility to protect the living world. He notes that more recently his work reflects the connection we have with nature and how we often ignore it. He notes that the recent reconciliation movement and empowerment of indigenous communities has been a hopeful sign that this change might happen. Society can learn much from the indigenous community. They have continually demonstrated that we are connected to nature, that nature must be respected and that our fate rests in keeping the planet healthy.

When asked about his least favourite part of the sculpture process he notes that it is finishing a project and knowing when it is time to stop. He has learned that a work is complete at a point at which his technical skills meet the complexity of the idea and the limitation of the stone. This is an ever changing dynamic that of course can be influenced by time restraints.

Don acknowledges that sculpture is time consuming. But it is also a physical activity that includes technical and mental elements. He says he will continue to focus on traditional techniques and limiting his use of power tools. He feels that the time he has spent learning his tools and his traditional techniques has helped him build a strong foundation upon which to build his art.

Don plans to show more of his work in public. He has participated in the Canadian Stone Carving Festival for the last six years. In addition,he participated in the Art in the Park festival in Ottawa in the spring of 2024.

Stone carving is not a speedy process. Don notes he has many ideas, but getting them carved becomes more difficult. As the complexity of his ideas and his carving grow,  they also take longer to produce. He hopes to do some of his future carving in wood in order to speed up the process. He also plans a return to drawing and painting to help capture his ideas.

As the participants at Sculpture Expo noted his work is outstanding.  We cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.