Stephen Cruise
2002
Stock began as a child's wooden blocks stacked in the shape of a tree. Seven trees are depicted as part of the original Preston coat of arms, and seven stacks of books, cut from sandstone, are arranged in a pattern loosely based on the path taken by the Speed River as it defines the northwest boundaries of the community of Preston. This placement will encourage visitors to interact with the sculpture as they walk through the courtyard to the library’s entrance.
Stephen Cruise was born in Montreal and studied at the Ontario College of Art. Cruise’s work has been exhibited extensively nationally and internationally since the early seventies and his work is found in many private, corporate and public collections including the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Ontario. The artist's commission projects include those for the Toronto Transit Commission; the Spadina LRT Public Art Program; and the Engineering Complex, University of Calgary.