JOHN WERLICH paper artist
The joy of working with my hands I inherited from my ancestors. Great grandfather Wilhelm was a master weaver; some of his works are in the Royal Ontario Museum. My grandfather John and my father were master cabinet makers and inventors of ingenious devices. I consider myself lucky that these skills were passed down to me.
As a kid I was always building things including a bridge, over our driveway, big enough for my father to drive under in his 1959 Mercury (only slightly smaller than a mid-sized aircraft carrier...) as I, 13 years old, waved proudly from above.
As a kid I was always building things including a bridge, over our driveway, big enough for my father to drive under in his 1959 Mercury (only slightly smaller than a mid-sized aircraft carrier...) as I, 13 years old, waved proudly from above.
Canta Libre
This love of building things led me to study Art and Design at Humber College which broadened my drawing, design and fabrication abilities. Five years after graduation I was entranced by a varnished wooden sailboat I saw at a northern marina. I wanted a wooden sailboat. I'll build my own! Four years later, after eight thousand hours of singlehanded effort, my own forty one foot sailboat Canta Libre was ready for launch. I've sailed in her tens of thousands of miles through nine countries. After bringing her home in 2005 I made her new again with a complete refit and relaunched her in 2008. She was written up in the prestigious Wooden Boat magazine in April 2010.
Steamboat Arezoo
For the twenty five years from 1986 to 2011 I worked with a wealthy enthusiast, with extremely high standards, and became deeply involved in numerous exceptional projects of his including furniture, a lavish country home and wooden boats. A twenty six foot steam boat, a replica from the Edwardian period, was the pinnacle achievement of our various collaborations. No detail in its construction was too small to escape critical attention in the pursuit of perfection in form and function. Launched in 2011 she was then invited to be a feature boat at the Toronto International Boat Show and was written up in Classic Boat magazine. It was a challenging project but valuable in finely honing my skills. I came to the satisfying realization that if I was able to imagine something I could hammer it into reality with my hands.
Visual art, a new endeavour for me, started in 2003. My original technique, 'paper mosaic', allows me to 'paint with paper'. While sailing my boat in the Bahamas the first artworks were created which reflected the vivid tropical colours of the Caribbean. A gallery on Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas was the first to carry my art and later several galleries in Florida and Michigan. When I returned to Canada the theme of my work became more 'northern' especially representing the Georgian Bay area where I sailed my boat for many years. I have shown my art at Muskoka, Huronia and Cabbagetown outdoor shows and at the One of a Kind Christmas show.
After the steam boat launch in 2011 my art career resumed with gusto. My work is evolving in complexity and scope, changing directions organically. Currently I am exploring themes such as geometrics and portraiture.
John Werlich
April 2013
After the steam boat launch in 2011 my art career resumed with gusto. My work is evolving in complexity and scope, changing directions organically. Currently I am exploring themes such as geometrics and portraiture.
John Werlich
April 2013
