Says the artist: "In a world preoccupied with the sensational, the bizarre and the vulgar, I find great enjoyment watching children at play. Their laughter, enthusiasm and naivete are a source of endless fascination, especially when the setting is a hauntingly beautiful prairie or foothills landscape." William Roy 'Bill' Brownridge grew up on the Canadian prairies during the Depression with only one leg. It wasn't easy but he went on to become a renowned artist and the author of three best-selling children's books - The Moccasin Goalie trilogy. Bill's somewhat allegorical stories inhabit a simpler time of horses and farms, and yet even then the challenges were great. Bill himself experienced such a challenge back then - he was a teenager when his right leg had to be amputated. But Bill's family, and his love of hockey and its ideals, helped him survive that challenge. A number of years after losing his leg, Bill moved to the city and enrolled in art college. He graduated and has been a professional artist even since - over 60 years. His paintings have been exhibited in the National Museum of Science & Technology, Ottawa; the Glenbow Museum, Calgary; the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto; his serigraph prints were used in Calgary's Olympic Games bid presentation to the IOC - a bid they won, hosting the 1988 Winter Olympics. His artwork has been on the front page of the national media and he's been featured on CBC TV and Radio. Bill's original paintings and prints and his books are in collections across North America and Europe, and can be found in libraries, corporate headquarters, government offices, downtown building lobbies, NHL team offices and players homes, and of course within the homes of hundreds of individuals. His most recent original paintings are available in art galleries across Canada from Toronto to Vancouver. Bill is not just a writer and an artist but a strong advocate for social justice. He's been a social democrat his entire life, a tough row to hoe living in Alberta back then, and Bill has fought hard in the interests of the poor and disenfranchised -- he once journeyed to the Nicaraguan jungle with Tools for Peace. On his crutches of course. Bill's books and art can also be seen at www.heartofhockey.com
