New artistry featured at library in time for Halloween

Miriam Ostermann
Associate Editor

 

Desperate to find a new artistic medium for the creation of his father’s Christmas present last year, local artist Clinton DeGagne stumbled across a newfound talent that not only provided release for his battle with depression, but also caught the attention of the Strathmore Municipal Library – in the nick of time for Halloween.
Until the end of the month, the top of the library shelves will be lined with DeGagne’s Pyrography pieces – the art of decorating wood by burning a design onto the surface using a heated metallic point.
The local artist experimented with the wood burning technique when he felt painting and sketching art for his father was no longer distinctive. In an ironic twist, the wood burning kit that his father had given him as a child was used to create the dragon depicted on the wooden canvass his father unwrapped last year.
Since then, the 29-year-old has won four First Place ribbons and two People’s Choice ribbons at the Strathmore Stampede’s Art and Horticulture show, created custom pieces, and specifically burned the images of Wolfman, Gollum, and Jack Sparrow on wood for his exhibit at the library.
“When I was a kid my dad had bought me a wood burning kit but I didn’t understand it, it didn’t make any sense to me,” said DeGagne. “It’s a lot harder because you can’t erase your mistakes. It’s burned in, it’s done. So, I thought let’s try it out, and it just kind of flourished from there.”
The Strathmore-based father grew up with four siblings surrounded by sketching, needlepoint, and music. After moving here to work in oil and gas, he was laid off for a year and began exploring other avenues to make more money. While he splits his talent – which he referred to as a hobby – with his job at the City of Calgary where he works for Youth and Recreation, DeGagne hopes his creativity will turn into a small business.
While the library is known for exhibiting the works of local artists, his distinctive work is unparalleled in the library’s recent history.
“Because it’s October and it’s Halloween and pyrography works great for some of these wonderful ghoulish types of figures that he can create, it just worked really wonderful for this display,” said Carmen Erison, assistant director of library services. “What really impressed me about Clinton is how hard he worked to create specific pieces for us, for October for our display. In the five years that I’ve been here we’ve never displayed this type work. I think Clinton brings a very unique style to the library.”
DeGagne grew up playing the clarinet, trumpet, base guitar, and more recently the acoustic guitar. Having sketched from a young age, and recently trying his hand at photography, he hopes to provide a similar upbringing for his infant daughter. Yet, his passion for the arts is two-fold. Suffering from depression, art always provided a means of expression for DeGagne, who finishes one canvas in two hours.
“I’ve just always been very artistic so it’s just an outlet for when I’m feeling down, it’s where I get lost and my go to,” he said. “It’s always been a release for me to help battle that depression. Music and art really help me forget about what’s troubling me and give me a calm-down moment. If I’m really down I pick up the guitar and play for ten minutes. It’s like I play my worries away.”
DeGagne’s pieces range from $30 to $70 and will be displayed until Oct. 31. For more information on his work check out his Facebook page Tin’s showcase.