I’m off to ACTS in Halifax for the week, where I will be participating in the Gallery portion of this wholesale show. I’m looking forward to seeing all the beautiful crafts and art made in the Atlantic Provinces, and also having the chance to speak with both Canadian and US gallery representatives. (I Heard You But I’m) Not Ready to Go is a new piece that I will be bringing with me on this trip.

Through the use of salmon as a metaphor, this integrated body of work explores an important issue in Newfoundland and Labrador culture: the disruption of lifestyles and thus communities due to external pressures, and the continuously evolving adaptation strategies of the people from these communities to survive and keep their families together in their traditional homes. The repetition of the struggles for life and for valued cultural traditions is reflected in the salmon’s journey from sea to stream.

Salmon Run Movie

Working out colours, features, and lines for glass salmon pieces, based on three Pacific Salmon species: Sockeye, Coho, and King.

By a Thread 25″ x 12″  Pate de verre, hemp twine, wood; kiln cast, cold worked, sand blasted glass

There exists a very fine balance between humans and their contact with the natural world. Everything that we do affects our surroundings; our mistakes, whether created by spilling minute droplets of paint into a freshwater stream, or the catastrophic leaking of radioactive materials or oil into our oceans, can destroy lives, livelihoods, individual species, and even entire ecosystems.  Our tie to wild salmon stocks on both eastern and western coastal areas is so very delicate; this thread-like connection can so carelessly be snapped in the blink of an eye.

By a Thread is part of the Salmon Run Project at the Art Gallery of Mississauga, ON. Photos courtesy of A. Taylor.

I have been working on several new series recently, The Tablelands Series and the Serpentine River Series, using a technique that I learned last spring.  I was fortunate to receive a New Creations Grant from the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador for this project, and am very grateful for their support.

I will continue to experiment with the colours by mixing different proportions of glass, as I think I can improve on some of the shades that I have produced so far; the next run will have the veins filled in as well, with a colour that also represents part of the region of the landscape that I want to bring to life in functional art pieces.

A nice little article in a spread about Artisans of the Northeast including my work! Wonderful grand! Cabin Life, check it out.

Alan P of Ottawa just sent me a photo of his beautiful display of the salmon that he chose from the installation Salmon Run when it was being exhibited at the Devon House Main Gallery last spring. What a great idea, and what a beautiful result. Salmon Run will be exhibited at MUN’s Corner Brook campus Fine Art Gallery this summer, beginning in June.

The goldfish will be swimming in the ponds a lot sooner than we think… already feels like getting closer to spring!

I participated in the first-ever Gallery @ ACTS this past weekend; the Atlantic Craft Trade Show held in Halifax looks to be opening up new avenue for artisans and crafts people to promote and sell one of a kind works. I look forward to the continuation of this event in the future!