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Stompin' Tom riled by Fafard sculpture
Last Updated Thu, 01 Dec 2005 11:04:25 EST CBC Arts Joe Fafard's sculptures are displayed in major galleries and public spaces across Canada but one of his latest pieces has landed the Prairie artist in hot water.

The acclaimed artist's depiction of Stompin' Tom Connors on horseback has drawn disapproval from the Canadian musical icon.


The bronze sculpture 'Nice Cowboy Hat!' by Joe Fafard, who sought to pay tribute to Canadian musical icon Stompin' Tom Connors but drew the singer's disapproval instead. (Photo courtesy Mayberry Fine Art) "I thought I was doing a very wonderful piece of Stompin' Tom, in the sense I was paying tribute to him," Fafard, an officer of the Order of Canada, told CBC News.

"When I did get a reply, and it wasn't very cooperative, ... we were [told] to cease and desist and take the piece off the market."

Stompin' Tom was unavailable for comment and the CBC was denied a request for an interview.

However, Tom Stewart, manager of Stompin' Tom Ltd., said in an email to Fafard that the singer was "not satisfied with the likeness that is being portrayed of him, feeling that it is denigrating to what he stands for in this country."

The email added that the name "Stompin' Tom" is a registered trademark and that the singer "will not grant his permission to allow the sale of such sculpture."

Originally entitled Stompin' Tom, the painted bronze has now been renamed Nice Cowboy Hat!, and despite the negative reaction from the singer, six of the eight sculptures Fafard created for the series have already sold for $30,000 each.

Fafard's dealers at Winnipeg's Mayberry Fine Art say the issue revolves around artistic freedom.

A close-up of Joe Fafard's 'Nice Cowboy Hat!'
"I think Fafard, like Tom Connors, enjoys the same freedoms as an artist to be able to express the things that he sees in the world around him," Shaun Mayberry said. "I am not sure Tom Connors recognizes the irony there."

Fafard's works have included painted bronze depictions of celebrities such as Pablo Picasso, Pierre Trudeau, Maurice Richard, Frida Kahlo and Bill Cosby. He is also known for his large public art pieces, including the beloved cow sculpture The Pasture outside of the Toronto Dominion Centre in downtown Toronto, and Mind's Garden, the circle of intricately carved bronze panels he donated to the University of Regina in June.

Nice Cowboy Hat!, shown in Toronto by the Mira Godard Gallery in 2004, is included in Mayberry Fine Art's current exhibit of Fafard's work, entitled The Bronze Age, running through Dec. 17.