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46 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2015 WHAT WILL MY LEGACY BE WHEN MY TIME ON THIS EARTH IS DONE Many ponder that question in philosophical moments. Common answers lie with our children and childrens children or possibly a business enterprise destined for continuity. Port Perrys Tyler Briley can make a unique addition to that list. In September his sculpture of World War One Colonel Samuel Sharpe was unveiled in Parliaments Centre Block. The inister of Veterans Affairs showed me where it would be placed while we were still in the planning phase of the project Tyler recalls. He told me that mil- lions of people would see my work probably for hun- dreds of years. I was humbled beyond words. Tylers journey from a virtually discarded artistic pas- sion to national attention proves again that life is rarely a straight line. Colonel Sharpes saga disgraced footnote to enshrined honouree demonstrates a Canadian heros tenacity even in death. Fate you could speculate may well have brought the two together. Tylers talent emerged at a tender age. I carved totems in my Mothers broom handles he laughs. As I got older I tried all kinds of media wood wax stone bronze soapstone. As an adult he kept that talent largely hidden from public view. My wife and I did the craft show circuit but at work nobody knew about my interest in art. But artistic insiders knew his name and reputation. Id been asked to donate pieces to charity sales. I did a hawk and snake sculpture for the Royal Ontario Museum and a trophy for General Motors. That Corvette Challenge project turned out to be important because it gave me my first experience working with bron e. I wasnt particularly ambitious. I just stuck with it and it seemed I got more recognition with every piece I did. And Id say I became more professional as time wore on. In the early 90s the Canadian War Museum commis- sioned him to create a bronze World War One cavalry piece. Placing something in the War useum I defi- nitely thought that was it While it may have seemed like the pinnacle at that mo- ment Tyler would prove he had much more to give no matter how circumstances delayed its happening. I worked as a firefighter on the rescue truck. I was injured on the job shoulder then further damage dur- ing a surgery to repair it. I wasnt able to work and lived with constant pain for 17 years. During that time I lost sight of my artistic passion. Ultimately Tyler himself would resolve his medical situation. Id taken large doses of narcotics for years he ex- plains. One day I stopped and once I got through with- drawal remarkably I was pain-free. The doctors told me Tyler Briley shown with some of the photos he used to capture the beautiful sculpture of Samuel Sharpe that was unveiled in Parliaments Centre Block. L MOLDING A LASTING LEGACY PHOTOBYMARYANNFLEMING