Monday Inspiration: Frances Loring

Frances Loring, Inuit Mother and Child, 1938, carved 1958 (source)

Another view (source)

Frances Loring (1887-1968), was American Born, but settled in Canada early on in her career- she worked closely with (partners even?) Florence Wyle, a notable sculptor in her own right. She founded the Canadian Sculptors society in 1928 with  Emanuelle Hahn and Henri Hebert. She is well celebrated and collected in Canada, and her works are easy to see on line and in person at the national gallery and elsewhere.

I love the graceful flowing lines in her work, the feeling of lightness in such a heavy medium. She did many war memorials and public commissions too- which I will not post here as the kids are going nuts right now, trying to 'help' me type this- drinking my coffee (decaf- so it's only so bad), barking like dogs, telling me things and when I don't listen attentively enough grabbing my face between their hands and telling me again- their big eyes wide and their milk breath blowing on my face forcefully.

I sort of envy this Inuit mother with her child tucked snugly away on her back- though you can tell he's just itching to get out and make a break for it, calculating the fastest way to make his mothers hair fly out of those neat braids while she chases him. and there I suppose is the beauty of this piece in particular and Loring's work in general- they are specific people, but also they are general enough to make us relate, to represent an archetype, or an emotion and that is powerful stuff.

Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about Canadian artists. Each Monday I'll pick a new one to profile- If you can think of any that you think I ought to look up- please let me know in the comments- I'd love to hear from you. You can find a list of the artists I've done so far here.