Brian Burke Sculptures
The Bell Island Murals Project was started in 1990 when Brian Burke was operating a mini-golf course and was looking for ways to attract customers to his business. (Read more about the Murals Project under "History" then "Monuments & Murals.") Having gotten the Murals Project off the ground, he turned his attention back to his original vision of setting up a world-class golf course in the western end of the Island, near the air strip. He had received a grant to teach a group of men some basic surveying and thus improve their chances of finding work in the construction trades while, at the same time, getting the survey work done for the proposed golf course. When that work was finished, there was time left in the grant for other work, so Brian came up with the idea of doing the "rock mural" on the west side of the Beach Hill. (Story and photos below.) From there, Brian's artistic interests turned to sculpting, starting with small reproductions of mining scenes. Self-taught and learning as he went, he formed a business called Heritage Works around 1994 and began offering his services as a freelance sculptor.
In 2000, he sculpted the replica of No. 2 Mine in the 1940s that graces the lobby of the Bell Island Community Museum. Around 2001, he sculpted a mural depicting sports scenes that sits outside the Sports Hall of Fame (the former Curling Club/No. 2 Mine hoist on Petrie's Hill. His 2006 piece, carved into the exterior brick wall of what once served as the vault for DOSCO's Records and Surveyors' Office on No. 2 Road, is entitled "Youth at Work." It depicts young boys who worked for the mining company tending mine horses, working on the picking belt picking rock out of the iron ore as it came from the mines, liming the fences of Company houses and keeping steam compressors going.
Brian's 2014 sculpture, located in the Church of St. Cyprian and St. Mary, is entitled "The Light." It represents Jesus as "the light" in the lives of His people, while also paying homage to the role mining played in the history of Bell Island and the importance of the light each miner depended on.
In 2016, he created a sculptured mural entitled "Beginnings," of Gregory and Catherine Normore, believed to have been Bell Island's first permanent settlers, at work catching and curing fish. It is erected on the west side of the Beach Hill, not far from where the Normores lived. Below are pictures of some of Brian Burke's work:
In 2000, he sculpted the replica of No. 2 Mine in the 1940s that graces the lobby of the Bell Island Community Museum. Around 2001, he sculpted a mural depicting sports scenes that sits outside the Sports Hall of Fame (the former Curling Club/No. 2 Mine hoist on Petrie's Hill. His 2006 piece, carved into the exterior brick wall of what once served as the vault for DOSCO's Records and Surveyors' Office on No. 2 Road, is entitled "Youth at Work." It depicts young boys who worked for the mining company tending mine horses, working on the picking belt picking rock out of the iron ore as it came from the mines, liming the fences of Company houses and keeping steam compressors going.
Brian's 2014 sculpture, located in the Church of St. Cyprian and St. Mary, is entitled "The Light." It represents Jesus as "the light" in the lives of His people, while also paying homage to the role mining played in the history of Bell Island and the importance of the light each miner depended on.
In 2016, he created a sculptured mural entitled "Beginnings," of Gregory and Catherine Normore, believed to have been Bell Island's first permanent settlers, at work catching and curing fish. It is erected on the west side of the Beach Hill, not far from where the Normores lived. Below are pictures of some of Brian Burke's work:
The Beach Hill Rock Mural, c.1994
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The photo at the right is of the rock mural of a bell with crossed miner's pick and shovel that graces the east side of the Beach Hill. The photo below is the expanded picture showing the mural's location in relation to the former fish plant and Dicks' Restaurant and Tavern. Photos by Harvey Weir.
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The Beach Hill Rock Mural of a miner's pick and shovel inside the outline of a bell was first constructed under Brian's supervision around 1994 by a group of men working under a training grant. The workers were Billy and Felix Ashford, Sean Fitzpatrick, Ross Noseworthy and Brian Reardon. They first collected old bricks from all over Bell Island. Leo Reardon loaned them his horse and cart for getting the bricks to the site on the Beach Hill from the side of the road where the Town Council had dumped them. The terrain was difficult to traverse and the horse got into trouble when he tried to jump a ditch and fell; fortunately, he was not hurt. After that accident, Dale Butler loaned them an ATV for the work. Once they got the bricks to the site, which is quite steep, they had to place them on a heavy steel plate and break them up with a small sledge hammer. They also had to dig a drain across the top of the site to divert any water away from the mural. In the years since this initial effort, upkeep has been taken care of under various student summer grants programs.
The Bell Island Community Museum No. 2 Mine Replica, 2000
In 2000, Brian sculpted the replica of No. 2 Mine in the 1940s that graces the lobby of the Bell Island Community Museum.
The Sports Hall of Fame Sculpture, c.2001
Sculpture depicting sports played on Bell Island located outside the Sports Hall of Fame (formerly the Curling Club, formerly No. 2 Mine Hoist), Petrie's Hill, created c.2001. Photo by Harvey Weir.
Youth At Work, 2006
Brian Burke with his 2006 piece entitled "Youth at Work," that he carved into the exterior brick wall of what once served as the vault for DOSCO's Records and Surveyors' Office on No. 2 Road. It depicts young boys who worked for the mining company (clockwise starting bottom left) keeping steam compressors supplied with coal; liming the fences of Company houses; working on the picking belt removing rock from the iron ore as it came from the mines; and tending mine horses. This photo was taken at the unveiling, June 25, 2006 by Harvey Weir.
The Light, 2014
This 2014 sculpture, located in the Church of St. Cyprian and St. Mary, is entitled "The Light." It represents Jesus as "the light" in the lives of His people, while also paying homage to the role mining played in the history of Bell Island and the importance of the light each miner depended on. Brian dedicated the piece to the memory of four women who brought light to his world and who believed in and followed the teachings of Jesus: Doris Noseworthy, Agnes Burke, Joyce Decker and Margaret Squires. Just as the light of his lamp showed the miner a way through the darkness of the submarine mine, the belief these women had in God was their light through life's darkness.
The method used in the making of this piece is called intarsia, whereby, instead of using paint or stain, the image is formed by using different types of wood to produce the colouring. This was the first time Brian had used this method, so the finished product is quite an accomplishment. He believes he received a little help from above as the oak he used came from both of the old St. Cyprian's and St. Mary's churches.
The method used in the making of this piece is called intarsia, whereby, instead of using paint or stain, the image is formed by using different types of wood to produce the colouring. This was the first time Brian had used this method, so the finished product is quite an accomplishment. He believes he received a little help from above as the oak he used came from both of the old St. Cyprian's and St. Mary's churches.
Beginnings, 2016
In 2016, Brian created a sculptured mural entitled "Beginnings," of Gregory and Catherine Normore, believed to have been Bell Island's first permanent settlers, at work catching and curing fish. It is erected on the west side of the Beach Hill, not far from where the Normores lived.