Faith in the Fields
Landscape Art Publishing / 16 January 2024

“Faith in the Fields: Picturesque Ukrainian Churches of Saskatchewan”Paintings, drawings and sketches by Fritz Stehwien, compiled by Barbara StehwienPublished by Landscape Art PublishingReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$19.95 ISBN 9781738021901 Fritz Stehwien was a German-born Saskatoon artist (1914-2008) whose life and work continue to be celebrated by many, including his family. The art-filled hardcover Faith in the Fields: Picturesque Ukrainian Churches of Saskatchewan is an archival project produced by Waltraude and Barbara Stehwien, and in its introduction we learn that the book “was inspired by two exhibits held at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada in Saskatoon: Faith in the Fields (1997) and Faith in the Fields II (1999)”. The beautifully-bound book features page after page of full-bleed, mostly pastel images of the singular churches and landscapes Stehwien encountered in his adopted home on the Canadian prairies. (The lifetime artist was forced to serve as a soldier in Eastern Europe during WW II.) This art book also commemorates the “resilience” of “European settlers encountering the harsh prairie climate”. This resilience came, in part, due to “their faith and strength,” and memorials to this history are found in the Ukrainian churches—“revered prairie icons”—still scattered across Saskatchewan. While some of these architectural delights are…

Nation Provisoire, La -The Provisional Nation
Éditions de la Nouvelle Plume / 16 January 2024

La Nation Provisoire -The Provisional Nationby Laurier GareauPublished by la nouvelle plumeReview by Toby A. Welch  $20.00 ISBN 9782925329053 What a fascinating book for anyone interested in Canadian history or the role of the Métis in our country’s past. The Provisional Nation explores how Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont – two of the most well-known Métis leaders – approached dealing with colonization; Indigenous people lived through a century and a half of colonization after Canada acquired Rupert’s Land. In this book, Gareau delves deep into the days of the last armed Métis resistance against Canada’s invasion into their traditional lands. I love how The Provisional Nation is laid out. The first half is the French version and the second half – starting at page ninety-nine – is for those who prefer to read English. Once you jump in, the content is written like a play. You’ll find a list of the cast of characters, a description of the stage setting, and then fifty subsequent scenes. [My favourite scene was number thirty-five. It opens with Louis Riel on his knees in prayer. (Riel was allegedly a deeply religious man.) Then Dumont enters the scene and the two discuss what will come next…