Cochrane’s most famous sculptor has been awarded province’s highest honour - The Alberta Order of Excellence.
Don Begg of Studio West received the award on Oct.17. The recognition takes precedence over any other provincial honour or award. The Alberta Order of Excellence is on the Canadian Honours Order of Precedence, meaning its members are entitled to wear the insignia as approved by the Governor of General of Canada. Members of the Order are entitled to use the post nominals AOE.
Begg is a bronze sculptor known around the world for his detailed and life-like figures. His work commemorates the human spirit by showcasing historical moments and everyday life on the Prairies.
The Order of Excellence recognizes Albertans from all fields of endeavour and backgrounds. Members of the Order's contributions have formed – and continue to advance – the province’s history and place in Canada and throughout the world.
Begg has dedicated his art to preserving, honouring and showcasing the human spirit by creating life-sized and larger-than-life bronze figures that capture historical moments and daily life on the Prairies. His body of work spans more than half a century and can be viewed throughout North America, South America, Europe and Australia.
‘The Chicken Lady’ in downtown Cochrane (real name Legacy), and the statue of the soldier at the Cenotaph are both Begg creations.
He was honoured this year to have been commissioned by the Royal Regina Rifles (one of the first Canadian regiments to make landfall on Juno Beach on D-Day) to do an eight-foot tall bronze sculpting of a WWII rifleman in combat. The unveiling of Begg’s eight-foot tall sculpture was part of the official ceremony in France on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, June 6.
He joined Princess Anne for the ceremony in the town of Brettville l'Orgueilleuse in the Place des Canadians.
Along with other dignitaries, Begg and his wife Shirley were taken on a tour of the underground caverns and canals where the soldiers hid from the Germans, and followed the original path taken by Canadian soldiers as they fought their way from the shore to establish an outpost near Brettville.
“They got the furthest inland from the ocean, and they held that spot and took it away from the Germans,” Begg said.
He’s been running his studio in Cochrane since 1970, although this year will be one to remember.
A tour of the 13,000 square-foot Studio West facility reveals a multitude of impressive commissioned works for a wide variety of private and public clients across the country.
He’s met royalty, famous politicians and many other prominent personalities.
In France on June 6, once the statue was dedicated, about 400 people joined the reception in the afternoon, followed by a formal dinner that evening.
“It was an honour to be asked,” Begg said. “It was a great honour to be part of it, to make a statue to honour the young men and women who went and signed up of their own accord to go and fight in the war.
“They weren’t forced – they did it on their own,” he added.
Visiting Canadian grave sites was especially moving for Begg.
“There were quite a number of brothers. One family, there were six of them,” he said.
“There were farmers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, merchants – they all signed up. They thought it was the thing to do, defend our country.”
At the cemetery Begg took note of the ages of the Canadian soldiers – 18, 19, maybe 20 years old.
“Some were younger – they just lied about their age,” he said.
Some had never seen an ocean before, he added.
Begg and others on the tour were shown the trenches and rode in jeeps along where the battle took place, sometimes with 100 yards separating the opposing forces.
He mentioned many times how well they were treated during their visit.
“There were more Canadian flags on residents (homes), on streets, thanking Canadians for what we had done,” he recalled. “There were more flags there than what you would see in a whole year if you drove around Canada.”
Begg was born on July 7, 1945, in Calgary to Hamish and Amy Begg. The family lived on the historic Glenfinnan Ranch in the Wildcat Hills west of Cochrane. Begg was the third child of four.
Begg was an independent child. He would leave the ranch on a saddle horse in the morning and not return until suppertime. He was curious, too. He paid daily visits to the horsemen at the ranches around Glenfinnan, learned everything he could about pedigreed horses and their training, and won many trophies in the process.
In 1970, Begg and Shirley established Studio West Foundry, the first fine art bronze foundry in Western Canada. Begg upgraded the foundry’s equipment to handle molten bronze: everything from the melting furnace, dewaxing furnace and cranes to hand tools, such as tongs.
By 1972, they moved their operation to the present location in Cochrane, which has expanded three times since and today includes an art gallery showcasing prominent Canadian sculptors.
Bronze statues can last for thousands of years. Just as ancient civilizations did, Begg uses the 3,000-year-old “lost wax” casting method in which he creates a duplicate bronze sculpture from an original model. The method allows for intricate details, whether the sculpture is miniature, life-sized or monumental. The most time-consuming part of the process is creating the original model. “It’s extraordinarily important to get every detail right,” says Begg. “We won’t be here in the ages to come to make excuses.”
Begg has devoted much of his work to celebrating Albertans. His sculptures reside in 26 communities across the province. Many pieces commemorate famous people and memorable historical events, such as Mayerthorpe’s Fallen Four police officers tragically killed in 2005, and Peace River’s junior hockey coach Darcy Haugan, a victim of the Humboldt bus crash in 2018.
Begg is perhaps most proud of the works that commemorate unsung heroes, such as pioneering women, nurses, teachers, families, Indigenous and Métis Peoples, soldiers, and community builders. For these tributes, he makes a conscious effort not to create a portrait of any one person. That way, “anyone can relate to the work. It could be your mother or grandmother or sister, whoever,” says Begg.
Begg’s monuments can be found across North America, literally from coast to coast to coast to coast: from Scheldt, BC, to Gagetown, NB, and from Tuktoyaktuk, NT, to Florida, as well as international installations.
“We have a dedicated crew of six that help us. It takes a little help to place 260 monuments around the world,” says Begg. His limited-edition sculptures have found homes in private, corporate and museum art collections on four continents and even in royal collections.
On her 1992 visit to Calgary, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II met with the Beggs and unveiled their sculpture of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) founder Brigadier General Andrew Hamilton Gault at the Museum of the Regiments. Her Majesty was taken with her official event gift – a two-foot maquette of the statue – which now resides in The Royal Collection.
For 54 years and counting, Begg has gladly guided new and emerging Canadian artists through the artistic process of working with bronze from conception to completion. He also teaches them how to navigate the often-daunting requirements put upon community and public art projects.
Begg and Shirley live in the same cottage in Waiparous where they first met and have no plans to retire.
“I cannot imagine a better occupation. When I get up every morning, I’m excited to get to the studio,” says Begg. “It has been a great privilege to be a foundryman and sculptor.”