RICHARD (Rick) L. SWITZER

Biography

Switzer was born in 1944, Oshawa ON. He graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1972, majoring in Sculpture. He prefers working in bronze, although his repertoire also includes wood, clay, metal, stone, and fibreglass. He worked in the advertising industry for nearly a decade prior to dedicating himself to sculpting on a full-time basis in the early 1980s.

During the 1980s, Switzer focused on creating monumental-size works, including The Pod jointly commissioned by Montreal Trust and Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. Created and unveiled in 1989 as tribute to orca whales and donated to the City of Vancouver, The Pod is a bronze sculpture of two whales gently riding waves.

Commissioned by General Motors of Canada from 1994 through 1996, Switzer created A Tribute to Excellence, a sculpture for General Motors of Canada Supplier of the Year Award. Upon winning A Tribute to Excellence for three consecutive years, Bethlehem Steel commissioned Switzer to create Signature in Steel.

Rick Switzer has been a member of the Sculptors Society of Canada since 1990. His studio is based in Pontypool ON

Artist Statement

For years I’ve been working on monumental works – representational, abstract, or conceptual – are inspired by all elements of nature.