Dennis Surrendi Ph.D.

$2800.00 CDN

$2500.00 CDN

Biography

Dennis is a native Alberta, born in the small town of Wayne, located along Rosebud Creek, a short distance southeast of Drumhellar.  His mother was of Russian decent and his father Italian.  Dennis’ father and grandfather were coal miners.  When oil and gas were discovered in Alberta and the coal mines began to close down, his family was forced to move to Calgary where his parents were able to secure employment.  While attending school in Calgary, Dennis became an outstanding hockey player.  He was signed by the Chicago Black Hawks at the age of sixteen.  He eventually played Junior A with the Calgary Buffalos, had his playing rights acquired by the Detroit Red Wings, and played Junior A hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings.  He began his professional hockey career with the Detroit Red Wings and then the Chicago Black Hawks.  After three years in the National Hockey League, Dennis obtained his university education.  He has two Master of Science degrees and two Ph.D. degrees in Wildlife Ecology and Human Population Dynamics and Ecology.  Dennis has held a wide range of scientific and executive management positions with a number of Provincial governments, the Federal Government, and in private industry.  He has represented Canada as a delegate to the United Nations, and, during that time, was directly involved in the preparation of the Law of the Sea – an international policy developed for the management and conservation of the world’s oceans and the life sustained by ocean ecosystems.  All of this indicates Dennis’ extensive background with wildlife and their environments.

“I have been up close and personal with these animals and birds, I know and admire them.”

Dennis’ interest in art goes back to his childhood.  During the 1950’s, Dennis took art lessons from the well-known western Canadian artist Roland Gissing.  His interest in sculpting was stimulated by his experience with the Inuit during his work with bears, wolves, caribou, and waterfowl in northern Canada.  Dennis’ academic training along with his professional experiences throughout the world is reflected in the subjects and composition of his individual works of art.  All of his sculptures are hand tooled and one-of-a-kind.  He has spent years developing tooling and finishing techniques that are quite refined.  Dennis strongly believes each sculpture must be a unique artistic as well as emotional experience.  He secures the best raw rock for his works in order to enhance the ultimate aesthetic attributes of each finished sculpture.  Therefore, Dennis has established his own national and international sources for rock from five quarries around the world, including Chile, S.A. and British Columbia, Canada.  His work is contained in private collections in Canada, USA, and Dubai.

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This page was last edited  March 26, 2010
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