On July 22, West Shore driftwood artist Paul Lewis was working on the remote Hesquiat Peninsula, located roughly halfway up the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Accessible only by helicopter, he was part of a small crew building scaffolding to restore the century-old Estevan Point Lighthouse.
That same day, when he learned Ozzy Osbourne had died, his mood sank.
Lewis pulled out his phone and began listening to the British rock icon’s discography. When Mama, I’m Coming Home started playing, the grief hit him hard.
“When that song came on, I was working by myself… and I was just bawling my eyes out,” he said. “That kind of hit close to home for me.”
When day turned to night, Lewis headed out with an electric drill and screws in hand to work on his latest driftwood project. But when he arrived, he had a sudden change of heart.
“Originally it started off with something like a plant-eating dinosaur, but then I thought, ‘You know what, we can do this better,’” he said.
While scrolling the internet for a fierce-looking dinosaur, Lewis found the perfect one: a semi-fictional, two-crested lizard straight out of the Jurassic Park universe.
“When I saw the dilophosaurus come up and I was like, 'Wow, I should do that,’” he said. “That’s kind of where it took off, so I made his mouth bigger, gave him teeth and gave him a big tongue.”
Tucked away in the bush near the coastline, next to an old cemetery, Lewis felt this was the perfect setting to baptize his creation, Ozzy, as a tribute to the late Black Sabbath frontman.
“I thought it was kind of fitting for the Prince of Darkness,” he said. “You find that thing in the dark and you're going to be freaked right out.”
Located steps away from the Hesquiat Peninsula trail, a coveted spot for hikers and adrenaline seekers, the sculpture is now marked by a small footpath created by Lewis and the lighthouse keeper.
Hoping to bring a bit of light in a moment of darkness, Lewis created this piece to warm the hearts of those who happen to pass by.
“I grew up listening to Black Sabbath and Ozzy,” he said. “And the fact that the Prince of Darkness died, I just thought it was a nice thing to name it Ozzy just as a tribute to him and my childhood.”
