Ah, Cochrane. We have all seen better days. This week has been rather glum but let's look at all the positives in our world and focus on that. We can only control, what we can control so getting caught up in troubling times is yes, a reality but don't let it consume you.
Thursday is here and let me take some of those blues everyone may be feeling away by briefly distracting you with a Thursday Tack and Tale from Stockmen's Memorial Foundation.
This week I thought I'd touch on the very talented soul, Malcom (Mac) James MacKenzie.
In 1932 on Christmas day, Mac would be born in the Bearspaw area. He must have come out with a paint brush in hand because he would go on to become a special little treasure to Cochrane. At a young age Mac was consumed with painting. So much so, that he even remarked that plenty of his precious "studying time" was devoted to drawing.
Growing up Mac attended Glendale School and the "red brick" Cochrane School. This was prior to Andrew Sibbald School being constructed in 1962. Following Grade 10, Mac never returned for Grade 11 which made the principal wonder seeing as he was a straight A student across all subjects. His brother preached that it was because Mac "just wanted to be a cowboy."
At 14-years-old, after meeting Jack Preddy in 1946, Mac would learn the craft of oil painting from the fellow rancher and later teach his brother Angus how to do so.
Mac worked on various ranches throughout Alberta's prairies over the course of his younger years. While working for Jim Cross in California, Mac would cross paths with Franco Vianello, an artist and sculptor from Santa Barbara. It was through him that he learned the art of casting.
On May 28, 1971 Mac married a pretty little lady by the name of Judy Harries. Together the pair had two children, Casey and Annie. About 10 years later, Mac decided to devote more of his time to his artistic talents, the family farm and his many friends. In 1982 his log gallery would open with a show and sale at the old George Webb home quarter. It was also at this time that Mac decided to build a log home of his own on the west quarter of his farm. It took Mac seven years to build the log home, but he sure was happy to do it and his family was sure darn proud of him.
Mac was a true western artist. Dozens upon dozens of paintings and drawings fell under his hand and he created more than 100 sculptures, personally working on every stage from production to molds to tooling each wax and finishing each patina. One of the best known pieces Mac created was Cochrane's "Men of Vision." The three metre bronze statue sits upon the original 1881 Cochrane Ranche site headquarters. The bronze was cast in Surrey, England, and flown back to Canada by air cargo in three parts. It was then welded together at the Cochrane site with a dedication day to follow on May 23, 1979. This was a huge honour for Mac. He beat out more than 30 prominent sculptors in Alberta to take on this feat.
It is said that Mac based the features of the cowboy who sits atop his trusted steed from Clarence Copithorne. At the time, Copithorne was the minister of highways and following his intervention on a proposal to rework the intersection of Highway 1A and Highway 22, - which would have gravely impacted the land base of the Cochrane Ranche - the creation of the Cochrane Ranche Provincial Historic Site was formed. This could be why Mac took inspiration from said Copithorne.
On June 22, 2002 the well-respected, Malcom James MacKenzie passed away, leaving his mark in the history books. A legacy of Mac's work can be admired around the world including the U.S., Australia, England, Japan, China and right here in the place he called home.
Turns out the dexterous Mac was good at more than just painting and sculpting. Bobby Turner wrote a poem to commemorate his dear friend. One excerpt goes as follows:
But there's one thing you should be famous for
It happened on a small patch of ice
That came and went so quickly
None of us thought about it twice
Mac, you should be remembered
For what happened that frosty morn
With a bent willow stick and tin can puck
The world famous slap shot was born!
