Artist: Paul Reimer (Cranbrook, BC, Canada)
Underwriter: The Dorman Family, In Memory of Matt Dorman
Paul believes that art is about forging connections; connections between places, cultures, and ideas; between the past, present, and future, but most importantly, between people. At the age of 15, Paul began his blacksmith apprenticeship at the Kootenay Forge. When he was 20 years old, he became the head blacksmith at the Fort Steele Heritage Town, located just outside of Cranbrook, British Columbia.
Resolute represents the strength and resiliency of nature, and its dogged determination to survive despite great adversity. The image of nature growing and thriving in spite of hardship gives a feeling of emotional fortitude, which is reinforced through the use of iron and stone. It symbolizes the strength we can gain from connecting to nature and each other. The hand-forged iron tree is galvanized and finished in a natural steel patina, attached to a rock base.