Posts Tagged “terrace”

Nathan Wilson and I finished our first commission together.  It had its ups and downs, but it was over all very positive and a total blast.  We worked 10 hour days over a 6 day period and worked on site the whole time.  We set up a tarp tent soon after starting the project and with the wind blowing very hard at times, it nearly blew over a few times and collapsed more times than we could remember.   We started with sketch ups of the proposed crest heads and after all the formalities, such as price, dimensions and other considerations, we started the first day after finishing our last day of class at Freda Diesing School.

Nate, looking over logPreparation of the log

We started by preparing the log–a first-growth western red cedar.  And after the surface was prepared and all the roughage taken off, we had a smooth surface to work on and put the crest heads.

"Refugee" tent that we set up to keep the rain outBeaver crest with primary and secondary forms colored

Next we painted the primary and secondary forms.

Killer whale and raven crest heads

Then we started carving.

Eagle, beaver and wolf crests

Then, finally we painted the tertiary areas and after getting approval from the clients, we were done.

final approval

Very exciting project and I am looking forward to what’s next.  Stay tuned.

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There is less than a week until the year end exhibit for we, the students at Freda Diesing School. Most of the submitted pieces will be carvings and although this is a new medium for me, I have to say that I have surprised myself with how well I did. I’m happy with the work and I think that is all that matters.

It’s been quite the year and i think that I will do a bit of a review when I have the time, but for now it’s back to the grindstone. I still have some pieces to finish for the exhibit… Here’s a photo of a red cedar mask that I am working on for the show:

Red Cedar mask

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Butterflies #2

Butterflies #2

My newest painting is entitled “Butterflies”. It is about respect.

Terrace is built upon land that is traditionally First Nations–Tsimshian to be more accurate. Although I am not Tsimshian, I grew up in Prince Rupert and find North West Coast art to be fascinating, especially considering that it still lives in a modern context and adapts to the tools and methods of today.

Years ago, I was told by some friends that in Tsimshian culture, the butterfly crest has a special meaning and is usually reserved for those who are not Tsimshian by blood—outsiders. The interlocking nature of the butterfly motifs on this painting suggests teamwork and co-operation—each one respecting each other’s borders and not going outside or falling short of their appointment. The repeating geometry within the design also suggests that it can be extended infinitely. Thus, it is universal that for harmony to be maintained between differing peoples, respect is mandatory.

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Well, everything went quite well at Friday’s exhibit opening at the TAG.  Please check out the TAG exhibit for photos of opening night and directions to the Terrace Art Gallery. Now that this exhibit is under way, we have another exhibit at the Kitimat Museum and Archives, which also doubles as an art gallery, coming up this Friday, 11 February.

Click below to see images from Terrace Exhibit Opening:

Group photo, TAG Exhibit, 2011

Group photo, TAG Exhibit, 2011

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The art exhibit opening at the Terrace Art Gallery was a huge success. We had what appeared to be about 200 people show up for the opening, with people from as far away as Hazelton showing up to meet the artists. I met people that I haven’t seen in years there, including a friend that I knew since I was ten years old that I haven’t seen in years and a lady whose portrait I drew in Gitsegeukla at a church meeting in 2007. I think that tonight has been a fulfillment of my best expectations, with an offer coming in to connect me up with a print maker in Victoria. Making reproductions is a key part of my business plan that I handed in on the aboriginal BEST entrepreneurship deadline today. It has been a very busy week that all came to a head this evening. My wife and I are going to watch a movie and go to bed. Stay tuned for more on the exhibit opening in a couple of days.

Opening Night at the Terrace Art Gallery, Feb 2011

Opening Night at the Terrace Art Gallery, Feb 2011

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Beautiful Sunrise in Terrace this Morning

I am in the car on the way back to Topley with Amy as I am writing this right now. The skies are sighing a mellow hum of purple in the distance as the mountains salute the dying remnance of a glorious day that the Lord has made. The week is now past and with two exhibits in the next two weeks, I have work awaiting me at home where I need to finish a painting that I have been working on. I think that this painting is a milestone in my studies and I look forward to exhibiting it. In fact, there are numerous works that are going to be on display that are quite impressive. I saw a painting by Kelly Robertson that I never thought existed; it is a Nuxhalk style painting in typical Kelly flavor–totally crisp, well designed and professionally executed–that appears to tell of a story about a lesson. I will have to ask him what it is about.

As those who have been following already know, we started on spoons this week and most of us are almost done our first spoon; some of us are on to our second spoon. Just like my first spoon, my second spoon is off to a bad start as I seemed to have misjudged the grain on this spoon. When carving in wood, grain is everything. Carving with the grain makes carving wood a breeze, but carving against the grain makes a person want to cry–it can be wrought with frustration and disappointment.  Anyways, my first spoon is turning out much better than I thought that it would and it started on a bad note as well, so we will see how this second spoon turns out.

My second Spoon

My second Spoon

We had a survey teleconference at noon today in the main building at school. The survey was part of a three year periodic interview of post secondary first nations students asking them the difficulties of college education. Many opinions and concerns came forth in the groups. There were three groups in total, one from Hazelton, one from Terrace and one from Rupert. The main concern that came out in the survey was funding and being able to afford college, even for those who are single, in fact I heard very little from those who may have been single parents in the group. Other than this, a main issue was the sense of belonging and this is something that I struggle with myself sometimes, but I usually get over it by realising that others around me are going through something similar. I find inspiration in the book of proverbs in the Bible that “to have friends, you must be a friend”. This is a paraphrase, but the idea is what matters, that to have friends, you need to take the initiative and be a friend.

Next week, we are expecting a presentation by author Bill McLennan. The plan is that Bill is going to do a presentation on the Charles and Elizabeth Edenshaw exhibit that he is directing at the UBC museum of anthropology. Two people at Freda Diesing School have gone to see this exhibit so far, Dean Heron and Nathan Wilson; both have recommended it to the other students. I hope to see it when I am down in vancouver.

Also, next Friday, February 4th, is the opening night of the Terrace Art Gallery exhibit. See my page entitled Terrace Art Gallery Exhibit for more details and directions.

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Tomorrow we start learning to carve spoons from alder wood. Alder is a semi-hard wood that grows in recently disturbed soil on the west coast. It literally grows like a weed and yet it makes very beautiful carvings. Most of the birch that we are using this year at Freda Diesing came from trees that were blown down during a one-in-200-year storm over the thanksgiving weekend and taken from CN land near Kitsumkalum.

We are coming up to the month of February, when we will be exhibiting as a class in the Terrace Art Gallery. We will be showing numerous paintings from first year students at Freda Diesing School. Opening night is Friday, February 4th at 7pm to 9pm. I will be sending out reminders between now and then, so please be patient if you hear this message a few times. Below is a photo of one of the paintings that I am submitting to the Terrace Art Gallery.

"Story"

This painting is a reflection a rather strange experience that once happened to me in Topley, BC.

The story behind the painting shown above was from when I was walking with my cat in Topley, yes she’s a strange cat that follows me around wherever I go.  Anyways, I was sitting on the bridge over the Bulkley River, letting my cat catch up with me when all of the sudden I felt these claws on the top of my head.  Startled, I quickly shooed what I assumed was a bird of prey after my cat, off of my head and as the bird flew away, I realized that it was a raven.  It was yet another strange but true story from Topley.

On a more subdued note, I am currently working on a business plan for my art business. There are a few things to consider with a business plan, but it all basically comes down to two things: cash flow and write up. The cash flow is the bones of your business, and is basically what you expect to make and spend based upon historical data from your own and other similar businesses. The write up is the flesh of your business, including a description of all the different aspects of your business: products, services, suppliers, employees, vision, competitors, competitive advantage, marketing plan and any other information that may be relevant.

One item to include in your write up is your competitors. In fact, during the small business workshop that I recently attended, they recommended that we keep a book on our competitors with as much relevant information as possible. They said to “keep your friends close but your enemies closer.” This is a theme that I have seen covered a few times by different speakers in the art world, including Greg Shaaf, director of the Center for Indigenous Arts and Cultures (CIAC), who recommended taking “competitors” out for lunch. He said that while they are enjoying their “creme brulee” (that you paid for) ask them some questions and hopefully they will tell you something in return for your courtesy, and if not, then they will still be thankful because you bought them lunch. It seems like a good idea either way.

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