Chasing the Light

The extraordinary life of Cliff Derksen is best experienced through his own words: "To sum up my life, I would say I was always chasing the light. It was often in chasing flowers to take pictures of them in the bright sunshine that I encountered their Creator. I couldn't help but continue the chase towards God's light down the path of forgiveness that led me directly to the source of all light - that of love, refilling my dark soul with peace, joy, and hope."

Derksen was a man of many talents. He worked as a lifeguard, porter, busboy, milkman, construction worker, DJ and photographer. Valedictorian for his graduating class, he could act, ski, swim, play guitar and sing tenor. He was a magician who loved to entertain. He was a business man and pastor, ultimately fulfilling his life-long dream of being an artist, ceramic sculptor, and art instructor. Due to the tragic loss of his daughter in 1984 his sculpting became therapeutic in nature as he explored themes of anger, loss, suspicion and justice.

In 2018 his life's work was captured in an award-winning documentary by Andrew Wall of Refuge 31 Films called Suspended: The Art of Forgiveness. Another documentary, After Candace: the art of healing was produced by Ottawa's Algonquin University, Victimology Research Centre in 2020. Both films portray Cliff's journey of forgiveness through the thirty-three years after the murder of their daughter.

His body of work has been described as strikingly animated, thought-provoking and metaphorical.