The life of Sudbury artist Ray Laporte is being remembered by his many friends.
The 71-year-old passed away peacefully at Health Sciences North on Feb. 4.
You may have seen Laporte’s work at the McEwen School of Architecture, where there is a permanent installation of his signature rock bass creations — fish Laporte crafted from wire and rocks he collected in this area.
His obituary says his works also include exhibitions for the Art Gallery of Sudbury, a mural in the New Sudbury Public Library, and a wealth of paintings, sketches, craftwork and poetry cherished by his family and many, many friends.
It adds that he also leaves behind much unfinished work, including a suite of portraits intended for a future exhibit.
The lifelong resident of Sudbury was a member of the Northern Initiative for Social Action (NISA) — an organization run by and for people with lived experience of mental health challenges — as well as St. Andrew’s United Church.
He honed his natural gifts for painting and printmaking at Cambrian College, with further studies at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Laporte’s obituary also spoke of his love of nature and tai-chi, and his strong spirituality.
Local architect and artist Dennis Castellan, who had been friends with Laporte since 1975, said his friend was courageous as he dealt with health challenges, including bipolar disorder and diabetes.
“Courageous, that’s the word that keeps coming to mind, the fact that he kept moving on, despite what he had to deal with and what was put in front of him in his life,” said Castellan, who has exhibited with Laporte, and also partnered with him on the architecture school rock bass installation.
Castellan said some of Laporte’s legacy is visible, referring to his artwork, but much of it is invisible, “because it will be the way he touched people.”
“He had a very rich life of friendships,” he said, adding that he had a “big, huge personality,” and was a “net giver.”
Dave Battaino is another longtime friend, having met Laporte in 1973. He also became Laporte’s landlord and next-door neighbour in recent years, which only strengthened their bond.
He explains that he and Laporte both attended St. Andrew’s church downtown, and he invited him to come to view his vacant rental unit after church.
While Laporte was initially reluctant, Battaino said that after viewing the unit, Laporte said “This is where I want to die.”
“And next thing you know, Ray’s living next door and just loving it,” Battaino said, adding that Laporte used to greet him in the mornings by doing the Friendly Giant whistle.
What used to be the unit’s dining room became Laporte’s studio, and he’d also hang his paintings in the living room, and leaned them against the wall when he ran out of room.
Battaino said Laporte was a “happy-go-lucky guy and an optimist,” despite his significant health challenges.
Kaarina Lee said she met Ray Laporte a decade ago when she worked at NISA, and they became friends.
“A lot of people call Ray a ray of sunshine,” she said. “Ray was very quirky and very fun and would often come visit … So he would often show up with flowers or really funny handmade gifts or a piece of poetry.
“I think Ray was really special for seeing the light in other people and he would often incorporate his friends into his artwork.
“And you know, Ray did struggle, that’s no secret, with his mental health, but he never gave up, and he always persevered. He always engaged, and his community and friendship connections are really important to him.”
Demetra Christakos, the director/curator of the Sudbury Art Gallery, said she had known Ray Laporte for more than 40 years, as he used to come into her mother’s art supply store in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
She said his art was “very inventive,” and that he worked in many different media. “It’s very materially based, made with his hands,” she said.
Christakos said her most recent memory of Laporte was just prior to the pandemic, when he had come to an exhibition opening, and had told her he was ready to talk about exhibition opportunities with the AGS.
She said the gallery had been talking to him about putting on a portrait exhibition at the Sudbury Theatre Centre, but unfortunately, the pandemic and Laporte’s health challenges intervened.
“Ray was part of the fabric of the art community,” Christakos said. “He also, through his health challenges, was an advocate for mental health, and he had done a lot of very important work sort of integrating these two spheres of his life.”
Laporte is survived by his sister Eleanor and husband Doug Cameron, his brother Robert and wife Paula Baker-Laporte, his son Mac, and is predeceased by his sister Evelyn.
A celebration of life for Laporte will be held in Sudbury in the summer of 2022. In lieu of flowers, the family says donations in Laporte's memory may be made to the Northern Initiative for Social Action.