Wired In To Glenn Gould

By Rudy Kehkla

I already had quite a fascination for Glenn Gould’s conception of Bach when CBC played the New York Philharmonic concert at Carnegie Hall, featuring Gould and his interpretation of Brahms. I was astonished to hear Leonard Bernstein’s opening “disclaimer,” distancing himself, yet acknowledging Gould’s genius. My fascination for Gould cemented into deep respect. 

When I was commissioned to create a couple of sculptural likenesses of Gould, I studied his hunching posture, his curious one-leg-over-the-other pose, and of course the inseparable old chair. His occasional need of a haircut became an opportunity to flaunt my medium . . . wire. My hope is to capture a resemblance, so that that my audience might silently hear his humming and groans as he played! 

Portraiture is difficult enough with pen and ink, but to convincingly use wire to capture a three-dimensional likeness presents its own unique challenges. 

I am self-taught and have been engaged in my art full-time for the last 30 years. Coming from a family of artists, resistance to pursuing a career in art was futile. Drawing always came easily for me and I found that the same agility with a line of ink on paper could be developed with a line of wire in space. A BSc with credits in anatomy and comparative anatomy, as well as the study of architecture at the University of Toronto, helped hone my skills. 

In my early days I sought representation in Toronto and southern Ontario. As I became more confident, I applied for and was accepted into the One Of A Kind Show in Toronto. With a 10’ X 10’ corner booth I had access to 150,000 attendees twice a year. Eighteen years at this show lead to more gallery representation, more commissions, and an impressive list of collectors. In my 12th year I was inducted into their Hall of Fame and joined an elite group of artists. 

I also began annual exhibitions, along with other artists, at the Buyer’s Market in Philadelphia for seven years. This was a wholesale show where galleries throughout the U.S. came to purchase and order art. I had gallery representation from coast to coast, including Disney World in Florida. 

These experiences have precipitated sales in the U.S., Europe, Japan and Australia, and enable me to be in the collections of Toyota Canada, Oscar Peterson, Gord Downey, and Prince, to name but a few.

I include here photos of my sculptures of Gould, as well as several other celebrities which I have created over the years.

See rudykehkla.com for more.