At Junction Park, you’ll find the Stone Flower sculpture by artist Patrick Sullivan carved out of a five-ton slab of Alberta red granite.
The male and female components of a rose are a metaphor for the beauty of love in its purely natural state. The pistil and stamen are enclosed by petals on the front. The curved symbol of birth and growth is prominent, as are the Celtic cross and flower carvings.
You can find more of Sullivan’s work in Whistler outside the library and at Rainbow Park.
A Little History
B.C. born, Sullivan started out as a painter in the 70’s until he met renowned British sculptor Henry Moore and tried his hand at sculpting with stone. Here’s a quote from him taken from a 2010 interview with the Pique Newsmagazine.
“I see public art also as a tool to reach out to people and make them feel better about life, and make them also intellectually think a bit more,” Sullivan mused. “But a lot of public art doesn’t do that, unfortunately. It’s usually all about the artist and not always about trying to teach somebody or reach out and make a statement.”
