Beloved Saskatchewan artist David Thauberger dead at 78

This one's called Budgies in Space, which is a really fantastic piece, very Canadian, Canadiana. David Thalberger was a renowned painter and sculptor who helped shape the way the Canadian art world saw Saskatchewan. Born in 1948 in Holdfast, Thalberger dedicated his life to art, inspiring generations and lining the walls of galleries and public buildings across Canada. So there's a lot of work that reflects agriculture, his rural upbringing, you know, growing up in a small town in Holdfast, but also the cultural icons of the province, like buildings, like grain bins and false fronted buildings. Today, SaskArts has 45 of his pieces in its collection. Thalberger was well known for his use of vibrant colours and took inspiration from the pop art movement of the 1960s and 70s. He had this amazing memory, so he would remember and tell stories about certain artists, like I would always bring up an artist and then he would have this, always have this fantastic story to go along with those artists and he knew people personally and he was encouraging. Thalberger was inducted as a member of the Order of Canada in 2008 and received the Lieutenant Governor Saskatchewan Artist Award in 2009. He also inspired his niece on her road to becoming an artist. She says she is most drawn to his paintings of the farmhouse his father and grandfather built. And that house is one that I had a relationship to as a child. It hadn't been lived in for some time when I was a child, but we would always go back there, explore the farmyard, explore the house in the barn and so, yeah, I felt a strong connection to those works simply because they're part of the family. Here you can see a really iconic image of David's work, very recognizable. So here it's called Easter Painting. He did it in 1989. Thalberger leaves behind a large body of work that can be found in galleries across the province and the country and he'll be remembered for more than his art and his love for his family and province. He's also remembered for his generosity with younger artists, myself included, but he was very influential and very inspiring to many generations of artists that came after him. I hope that he's also remembered for that. Laura Sciarpelletti, CBC News, Regina.