Each piece of art from W.C. Keen is a one-of-a-kind piece, forged from the bottom up by sculpturist Bill Keen and finished with impressive painted details by his wife Laurette Keen.
The Keens will be opening their home gallery on Oct. 19 as part of the Moostletoe Studio Tour, offering a look at the place where they create the iconic steel trees that most people are sure to recognize.
Bill has been sculpting for nearly 50 years, garnering national attention for his work. The joy of creating is what drives him to continue, and working alongside his wife is incredibly fulfilling for the couple.
“I've got a lot of pieces all over the place now, especially in Moose Jaw. People have just been really good to me,” said Keen.
Trees have become a trademark of the Keens’ work, both free-standing, three-dimensional pieces and impressive wall hanging pieces, although the pair works on more abstract designs as well.
Keen finds that people tend to have a personal connection to trees, in one way or another — either from childhood or from a love of nature — which is why, he thinks, his steel trees are so popular.
“People love trees, and trees do so much for the environment,” said Keen. “A lot of people have relationships with trees, in the sense of maybe they sat under one or had a tire swing tied as kids.”
On the day of the tour, Keen will have the gallery in his home open to the public, featuring around 30 pieces of his work, some of which are entirely new and never seen before.
This is the third year in a row that the Keens have participated in the studio tour, and they are looking forward to seeing the curious crowd.
“There's always such a variety of things,” said Keen. “Everybody has a different studio and its interesting, . . . looking at different artworks that are all produced locally.”
The W.C. Keen gallery is located at 127 Calypso Dr. More information on Bill and Laurette Keen can be found on the gallery’s website.
