According to himself, Stephen Harper has been misrepresented. He doesn’t dislike art. Actually he is an enthusiast. The Concordian sat down with the Prime Minister and his children as they fingerpainted.
Why did you choose to paint yourself Mr. Harper?
It’s who I am. I know who I am so I feel most comfortable drawing between the lines so to speak. What I don’t appreciate is speculative art, things that assume something about something else. These whimsical allowances only create doubt and confusion. Little Ben once drew a purple sun, we had to take the purple paint away – it’s such a confusing color!
Why did you paint yourself lying across the Canadian map like that?
I see myself as the one man who is ‘in bed’ with the whole country (chuckles). Canada is big, and although I can’t satisfy anyone, umm, I mean everyone, I try really, really hard to spread myself out.
Your head is in Alberta, your back is to the Praries and Ontario and you’re practically mooning Quebec. Care to comment?
My feet are kicking the Maritimes, that’s what those kicky lines denote.
What’s your favorite color: red, white or blue?
Don’t make me choose!
What’s your favorite medium?
Oil painting
People see you as an ‘art hater’ – someone who doesn’t appreciate Canadian art. Care to comment?
Okay, face it, most Canadian art sucks. It’s lazy. Where’s the beef? In these tough times people need to get realistic, we need to place funding where it’s needed. Artists need a wake up call. Besides, I work a normal job plus I’m an artist, I just made my first film.
What’s it about?
It’s a Christmas-gone-wrong story. A family can’t decide what it wants for Christmas. The dad goes for what the majority of the household want and it ends up being the worst gift ever!
How’d you finance it?
Telefilm, my choice biatch.
