Sam Livingston left his native Ireland at sixteen to become a gold prospector, an adventurer, a fur trader and finally the first farmer and rancher in the Calgary district. Garneau's portrait brings him to life as a rugged older man, dressed in heavy sweater, a hat and high boots. One huge hand grasps his forearm, introducing a sense of tension into an otherwise casual seated pose. He is looking up and appears to be talking. Created by prominent Métis artist David Garneau, a well-known contemporary artist, curator, writer, and professor, this ceramic sculpture is part of a series of five figures representing Alberta's past. In 1984 when he was commissioned to create sculptures of historic Calgarians to commemorate Calgary's 100th birthday, he was a 22 year-old student. At the time he was greatly influenced by the small-scale character studies in ceramic by Saskatchewan artist Joe Fafard.