Artists (from left) Peter Scott, Toni Ramsay and Deb Sherwin admire the newly placed quail sculptures they made for the front of the Osoyoos Art Gallery. They placed them with help from Rick Holz and Kirk Hood of CSI Contract. (Richard McGuire photo)
The quail has no official status as the town bird of Osoyoos, but their omnipresence has inspired a trio of artists to celebrate them with a sculpture in front of the Osoyoos Art Gallery.
“They are associated with Osoyoos because they are everywhere,” said artist Peter Scott. “Everywhere you go, you see quails.”
Local artist Deb Sherwin led the project and rounding out the trio is fellow artist Toni Ramsay.
The three artists created a family of quails using special artists’ concrete.
Then with the help of Rick Holz and Kirk Hood of CSI Contract, they set them in a concrete base on the front lawn of the gallery last Friday.
Quails, of course, are the little birds that hang around the back alleys of Osoyoos in families, darting out almost suicidally whenever a car approaches.
“The way Deb designed this, the quails tell a story,” said Scott. “We’ve got Mom, we’ve got Dad, we’ve got five distinct little babies with distinct personalities. The parents have distinct personalities. They’re out here on guard with their flock. We’ve got one little guy who is overweight and he’s eating off the ground. We’ve got another little one running in the opposite direction of everybody. And we’ve got one imitating Dad.”
Another sneaks under its mother’s legs.
“Each bird was individually designed and individually constructed,” said Sherwin. “This is not a mould. This is all hand done, complete with wrinkles.”
The three artists donated their time and local businesses contributed materials, notably South Okanagan Concrete Products. As well, the local arts group Artists on Main supported the project, said Sherwin.
“This is our gift to the town and their art gallery,” said Sherwin. “We’re not making any money on this.”
It started out when the Osoyoos Arts Council expressed an interest in creating something to draw more attention to the art gallery.
“They thought something out front would do that, so the three of us sat down and started brainstorming,” said Scott. “We started thinking of an installation piece, something out in the front yard. We brainstormed about what represents Osoyoos and we came up with the idea of a family of quails because they’re everywhere.”
It required permissions, but the Town of Osoyoos was helpful, Sherwin said, and Ron Doucette, director of public works, helped the artists make key contacts.
“It’s taken us six months from our first discussion to now,” said Sherwin. “We built the birds in my garage.”
Sherwin built initial models of the birds in plasticine and later the birds were built in concrete layers around wire frames.
“We had to really rock to get that stuff on because it dried really fast,” said Scott. “It was tough to work with.”
The sculpture is intended to be a permanent installation, and Scott hopes it becomes a focus for tourists and a conversation piece.
“People are going to say, let’s go meet down by the quails,” said Scott. “I think it’s going to be a real focal point.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Artists Peter Scott (second from left) and Deb Sherwin direct the placement of the new quail sculptures in front of the Osoyoos Art Gallery, while Rick Holz (left) smooths out some concrete and Kirk Hood (right) places the father quail. Holz and Hood are from CSI Contract, one of the companies contributing to the project. (Richard McGuire photo)
Artists Peter Scott (left) and Deb Sherwin (right) direct the placement of the new quail sculptures in front of the Osoyoos Art Gallery, while Rick Holz (second from left) smooths out some concrete and Kirk Hood (second from right) places one of the baby quails. Holz and Hood are from CSI Contract, one of the companies contributing to the project. (Richard McGuire photo)
