They share a love of art, purely by accident
©Kathy Smith: July 8, 2001
Victoria Times Colonist, Islander section

Sculptor Alistair Green doesn’t define his life by the accident that made him a quadriplegic. Not anymore. He’s got a new calling, a successful art studio, and a business partner who shares his love for the creative process.

Green met partner Garry Curry while they were both receiving treatment for serious spinal cord injuries at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Hospital and G.F. Strong rehab centre. Confined to wheelchairs, they spent almost four years in rehabilitation before turning their attention to art.

“We sat around and watched TV for about four years,” admits Green. “Sometimes I’d stay in my place six months at a time,” says Curry. About five years after their accidents, Green and Curry started exploring desktop publishing together. “Garry was doing a lot of drawing with a head mouse and showed me how.”

Then Curry got a piece of soapstone for his birthday.

“He started carving,” says Green, “and he got me hooked. We started making Christmas presents, working with our hands again,” he says. “We were quite shocked at what we were able to do,” adds Curry.

Though Curry comes from a family of artists, neither were artists before their accidents. “I feel I've been given a second chance to accomplish something,” says Curry, “so anything I can do now is all gold.” Green is happy he's able to work with his hands, which he wasn't sure he'd be able to do. "I like to challenge my own self-barriers," he says.

Both agree soapstone is a challenging medium to work in, but say it's easier tool-wise than wood carving. Wood carving tools are sharp, which means a higher degree of risk to someone with limited mobility. They find stone a faster medium than wood and also like the timeless quality, the permanence it represents. “I like how primitive it feels,” says Green. “Stones are thousands and thousands of years old.”

A few years back, Curry renovated his sister’s carport, creating an initial studio, later Green built an addition to his home to increase their work space. They usually work on commissioned pieces (roughly 50 percent of their output) together, and they often help each other with labour and finishing details.

"We serve as motivation and support for each other. We can spell each other off while working on a joint piece," says Green. "Different areas on a piece can require changing hands to get the best positioning. My left hand is my strongest and Garry's strongest is his right."

The repetitive motion of working on a piece can be tiring, but the pair have worked together to customize the tools they use to shape their pieces. “It can take up to a year to finish a piece, but we’re getting new tools all the time,” says Curry. “Adapting helps with the speed of the work,” says Green. “We need an air compressor now to help with the physical limits.”

Much of their work is inspired by news and world events. Curry is interested in exploring more abstract work and has ideas for murals, concrete relief work and glass etching. Green also enjoys drawing. Their goal now is to get a business grant, rent a warehouse space, and tap the overseas market.

“The publicity part has gone really well for us,” says Green. “People are really receptive to what we are doing.” In fact, their work is so popular, it’s often sold before they can participate in shows.

Curry feels art has given him more options. “In the first month, after my accident, I wasn’t even able to move. It was like I was in a windowless room with only a bit of light coming in under the door. Now it’s like a long corridor, with many doors representing opportunities.”

Green is currently working on an 85-pound piece called 'Penance' which depicts his atrophied right hand. “The thumb tucks into the hand because of the loss of control,” he says. “It motivates me to see that my right side is not strong. It’s my cross to bear from the accident. It’s always there.”

Green and Curry feel like brothers. They’ve shared the struggle of rehabilitation and now they share the rewards of persistence in the face of many odds. Their art is their life. And they aren’t going to give up now.

“It’s given me a whole new outlook on life,” says Curry. “It’s a really good way to spend time. I can see a future now,” he says. “With each piece you do, you get more confident. I’ll probably do sculpture for the rest of my life.”

“It’s incredible,” says Green. “I never expected to do physical labour. I never thought I was capable. It’s opened up a lot of doors,” he says. “Hopefully my sculptures will live on a long time past me.”