A few years ago my granddaughter worked at the Beaver Tails hut on the Ottawa Canal during Winterlude. I was struck by a scene in front of the hut and registered that image in my head as one of those “moments in time” that is uniquely Canadian – actually it’s uniquely representative of our beautiful city of Ottawa. Beaver Tails was founded by Pam and Grant Hooker right here in Canada’s Capital and although it’s expanded across Canada and abroad, it continues to be a truly iconic Canadian pastry and an experience I make sure all my visitors try.

The scene that registered in my mind was of a couple of kids sitting on a bench near the hut – taking a break from skating – laughing and delighted in their delicious treats. Their hand knitted hats and scarves were dusted with sparkling snow and the steam from their hot chocolate creating a cloud around their faces. It was one of those scenes that tickled memories of my own kids and grandkids. So of course I knew that sooner or later I would have to recreate this vingette in my style of sculpture.

I’m not a knitter, so I had to recruit a friend to create their earflap touques and mittens. and the skates are actually Christmas ornaments that worked perfectly to scale. Everything else is my doing from sculpting the figures and creating the costumes, building the Beaver Tails Hut and bench out of balsa wood and creating the illusion of ice and snow. This was a fun project and it was finished just in time to be unveiled at Sculpture EXPO October 19th and 20th right here in Ottawa, Ontario. If you have a chance come by the Glebe Community Centre at 175 Third Avenue for an incredible exhibit of original sculptures. Saturday and Sunday, October 19-20.

Additional information on available sculptures can be found in Gallery I at http://www.MariaSaracino.com