Thank you for your kind words, thoughts, reflections, memories and prayers - so immediate and timely. As expected the day was one emotional storm of tears, gusts of emotions and dark clouds of a new type loneliness. But amidst this storm there were also the warm winds of good conversations with my children as we are working through the plan. Cliff left us with a plan which we will try to fulfil. Today we will begin to make it happen. Tomorrow - I will tell you.... I hope.....
Smiley
You can't spell funeral without fun.
About the story.....
************************
In this next part of Cliff's autobiography, we were going to combine some of our thoughts -- in a new creative venture. I really was looking forward to working together with him. We did one attempt at it -- and it seemed to work. It was a film... about our work combined.
After the acquittal, during a speaking engagement in Ottawa, I was approached by a professor from Algonquin College in the Victimology and Police Foundations department, with this request.
“We would love to create a short film of your story while you are here that can continue to be used as a learning tool for students and survivors. The victimology program will pay for the cost of filming.”
By this time, I was preoccupied with my new career, working as a therapist at the Oakville Wellness Centre.
Perhaps if I had someone to share this with?
I answered, almost without thinking. “I would like to include my husband’s art.”
He just nodded. “And what would that look like?”
Cliff's journey had paralleled mine.
After the preliminary, he had started working in clay in an entirely new way. By this time, he was renting space at the Clifton Studios and took advantage of any break in his business to create art.
I described Cliff, his art, and the chance of a combined exploration of our journey together. He thought it was a great idea.
Actually, I didn't really know if it would work - or if Cliff would welcome the idea, so when I got home, I pitched it to him and then I frantically went to work scripting the narrative.
I was pleasantly surprised - and relieved - to discover that while I was isolating fifteen elements, Cliff had also created fifteen sculptures that, with a bit of creativity, we could make work together. It was amazing, comforting, confirming and, in some ways, astounding to find that we truly had been on the same journey. WE did it differently as two different personalities, gifts, gender and motivation.... yet there was a complimentary fit.
To do the film we would have to show all of Cliff's art. Since we didn’t have a gallery at our disposal, we decided on a pop-up show, for which we would rent a few white plinths and set up at strategic places around Winnipeg to showcase his art.
In preparation, we spent an entire Sunday exploring our lovely city – appreciating it even more as we remembered how supportive this city had been for us. Cliff and I had to choose a unique setting for each sculpture.
The filming was going to be a whirlwind tour of our sprawling city.
As planned, two young men flew into Winnipeg – cameras on their shoulders.
After two days of filming, Cliff and I realized, we had just fulfilled our dream. We were surprised at the “creative high” we could still share after all these years.
As a sculptor, Cliff had fought to express his journey through the aftermath of murder, while as a writer I had tried to organize and describe the same journey.
Recently, we had talked about it again. We had combined the two in film – could we do the same in a book.
In his autobiography Cliff had outlined his journey creating fifteen sculptures but we had not combined it with my published fifteen elements.
So with a bit of trepidation but with his permission, I would like to continue to draft this copy of Cliff’s autobiography but now include my insights as well.
Because of his hard work in writing the first draft, his will continue to hold the dominant narrative. I do want to warn you that this is really a work in progress.
I’m a little upset that he isn’t here to help with this. He left too soon.
I'm also going to now include his floral photography. He loved his flowers.
Smiley
You can't spell funeral without fun.
About the story.....
************************
In this next part of Cliff's autobiography, we were going to combine some of our thoughts -- in a new creative venture. I really was looking forward to working together with him. We did one attempt at it -- and it seemed to work. It was a film... about our work combined.
After the acquittal, during a speaking engagement in Ottawa, I was approached by a professor from Algonquin College in the Victimology and Police Foundations department, with this request.
“We would love to create a short film of your story while you are here that can continue to be used as a learning tool for students and survivors. The victimology program will pay for the cost of filming.”
By this time, I was preoccupied with my new career, working as a therapist at the Oakville Wellness Centre.
Perhaps if I had someone to share this with?
I answered, almost without thinking. “I would like to include my husband’s art.”
He just nodded. “And what would that look like?”
Cliff's journey had paralleled mine.
After the preliminary, he had started working in clay in an entirely new way. By this time, he was renting space at the Clifton Studios and took advantage of any break in his business to create art.
I described Cliff, his art, and the chance of a combined exploration of our journey together. He thought it was a great idea.
Actually, I didn't really know if it would work - or if Cliff would welcome the idea, so when I got home, I pitched it to him and then I frantically went to work scripting the narrative.
I was pleasantly surprised - and relieved - to discover that while I was isolating fifteen elements, Cliff had also created fifteen sculptures that, with a bit of creativity, we could make work together. It was amazing, comforting, confirming and, in some ways, astounding to find that we truly had been on the same journey. WE did it differently as two different personalities, gifts, gender and motivation.... yet there was a complimentary fit.
To do the film we would have to show all of Cliff's art. Since we didn’t have a gallery at our disposal, we decided on a pop-up show, for which we would rent a few white plinths and set up at strategic places around Winnipeg to showcase his art.
In preparation, we spent an entire Sunday exploring our lovely city – appreciating it even more as we remembered how supportive this city had been for us. Cliff and I had to choose a unique setting for each sculpture.
The filming was going to be a whirlwind tour of our sprawling city.
As planned, two young men flew into Winnipeg – cameras on their shoulders.
After two days of filming, Cliff and I realized, we had just fulfilled our dream. We were surprised at the “creative high” we could still share after all these years.
As a sculptor, Cliff had fought to express his journey through the aftermath of murder, while as a writer I had tried to organize and describe the same journey.
Recently, we had talked about it again. We had combined the two in film – could we do the same in a book.
In his autobiography Cliff had outlined his journey creating fifteen sculptures but we had not combined it with my published fifteen elements.
So with a bit of trepidation but with his permission, I would like to continue to draft this copy of Cliff’s autobiography but now include my insights as well.
Because of his hard work in writing the first draft, his will continue to hold the dominant narrative. I do want to warn you that this is really a work in progress.
I’m a little upset that he isn’t here to help with this. He left too soon.
I'm also going to now include his floral photography. He loved his flowers.
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.”
—Steve Jobs
—Steve Jobs
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