Michael Maclean is a fine art sculptor who started his career in commemorative art in Carrara, Italy carving white marble into figurative reliefs for Italian cemeteries. Since childhood, the artist has been drawn to cemeteries and grew up next to Ottawa’s Beechwood Cemetery, est. 1873. He will never forget the thrill and mystery of exploring ornately carved tombs under its canopies of mature trees
. Originating in his early childhood experiences of cemeteries as places offering comfort, Maclean views cemeteries not only as sites of loss, but also as places of regeneration and connection. As an artist, Michael views cemeteries as public art parks, and strives to bring interest and humanity into all his monuments. He is fascinated by how monuments reflect the fashion of art and architecture as well as individual histories that can be felt even by strangers far into the future. Through his monument building practice, he strives to create works that promote a regenerative and liberating form of grieving. Michael finds that speaking with survivors, and seeing photographs and artifacts of the deceased inspire something very personal for the families that reflects their loved one’s interests and their individual dignity. Through his monument building practice, Michael sees cemeteries and their monuments as not only for the ones who have left this world, but also for those who remain. Since 2005, Maclean has been making monuments for the Galiano Island Cemetery in British Columbia where he has collaborated with families there to create monuments that both represent the personality of the individual along with being in respectful and complementary dialogue with the natural environment. Recently, he has been expanding his monument services into other communities, especially for individuals and families who desire something completely unique.
“When I can feel that someone wishes for something special, it’s exciting to think of it in a three-dimensional way, realizing the piece as a sculptural installation that reflects that individual.”
Michael Maclean 2016
