The talented Abernethy sisters of Wellesley

Jean Abernethy in her studio, showing one of her latest creations of Fergus the Horse in hardcover children’s format. Gary West photo

By Gary West

When the Order of Canada recipients were announced recently, one name familiar to many residents in the Waterloo region area was that of Ruth Abernethy.

Ruth Abernethy is known across the country and beyond for her great sculpture work; her bronze busts of Canadians who have made an impact on the world are on display in communities  across the country.

Her statues include Glenn Gould at the CBC building in Toronto, Oscar Peterson at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the bronze portrait of Queen Elizabeth ll and, of course, the Raising of the Tent sculpture in front of Stratford’s Festival Theatre.

I love to visit with world famous people who do not live far away, and hence a trip to a beautiful rural property southwest of Wellesley was in order.

Once there, I not only found Ruth Abernethy and her gallery to be most interesting, but was intrigued and interested once I was introduced to her sister, who also lives on this beautiful property.

Jean Abernethy, the younger of the two Abernethys, is also a very famous artist, illustrator and author in her own right.

I’m sure most readers with children and grandchildren would have heard about Fergus the Horse in a number children’s books that Jean Abernethy has artistically drawn, painted and illustrated on the life and times of the world‘s most popular cartoon equine. Even though her audience is a younger generation, I was inspired and entertained by her many books and writings about Fergus.

She has Fergus out on social media and has hundreds of followers on Facebook alone, with many more on other platforms.

When reading her history, I found Jean Abernethy has loved horses since she was old enough to walk and, to this day, still rides extensively on her own horse that she loves.

I especially liked one of her expressions in one of her larger book projects, where  a cartoon rider with helmet is falling off his mount while losing his riding boots, while still hanging onto the bridle reins. The caption reads, “Courage keeps us Going, Laughter keeps us Sane.”

Jean Abernethy’s books and artistic renderings of Fergus are available in many area bookstores. More information is available at www.fergusthehorse.com or by emailing Jean Abernethy herself at jean@jeanabernethy.com.