Kim Naylor's Fishing Floats

                Photo by Kim Naylor

There is something about the ocean, which compels and fascinates. It is both loved and feared. It can be fierce and stormy but also serene, warm and inviting. It is a great mystery in itself. Throughout time, the oceans have given birth to many myths and legends. And after big storms, treasures are sometimes washed up onto the shore waiting to be discovered. I am not talking about pirate chests full of gold, but rather objects that fascinate beachcombers, artists and collectors; the hand blown glass fishing floats.

Collected for their beauty, history and journey, glass fishing floats are one of the rarest, most coveted beachcomb finds. They were first produced in Norway around 1840, in Japan around 1910 and were also intensively used throughout much of Europe, Russia and North America between 1940 and 1980. Ranging from 1.5 to 20 inches in diameter, the glass floats were used to buoy the vast webs of commercial fishing nets all over the Pacific Ocean. Although they have since been replaced by aluminum, plastic, or Styrofoam floats, most of the original ones remain stuck in a circular pattern in the ocean currents of the North Pacific and this is where they will remain until a storm sets them free and brings them to shore.

Handmade by a glassblower, recycled glass was typically used to make the vintage glass fishing floats. They characteristically have a plug or button of glass at the bottom to fill the hole left by the blowpipe used during the turning and blowing process of the glass. The fishing floats are usually round, but occasionally cylindrical floats shaped like rolling pins and dual floats were made. Most of them are shades of blue or sea-green, the color of recycled bottles; others are clear, amber, aquamarine, amethyst, blue, cranberry, purple, yellow and orange. The most prized are the red floats, as a small amount of gold in the glass was needed to create the colour, only rarely were they produced. When beachcombing, the beauty and the colours of these unique spheres truly stand out from the landscape when the sun shines through the glass as they hide above the tideline among the pieces of driftwood, the high grass or while tangled in shore-washed kelp. Finding one of these glowing treasures along the beach brings a sense of wonder to whoever finds them and this feeling is part of the fascination collectors and beachcombers have for them.

Growing up in a family of fishermen in Prince Rupert, on the north coast of British Columbia, artist Kim Naylor has always been attracted to the beauty and mystery of the glass fishing floats that embellished her grandparent’s house. It is then not surprising to see how this artist transforms the floats that fascinated her as a child into unique decorative floats, bowls, candleholders and jewellery pieces. Last week, I had the chance to interview Kim and asking her about the beginning of her artistic career; she told me: “Everything started one day, when my grandmother asked me if I could repair one of my grandfather's lavender floats. I used stained glass technique to put the pieces back together and give a new life to the broken float”.

 Working with genuine glass fishing floats found on a beach or plucked from the sea, Kim creates her unique art pieces by breaking the float in several pieces and putting them back together using a stain glass technique. This is done by applying a strip of foil to each piece and folding over the edges onto the front and back sides of the glass - this is called crimping.  After pressing and sealing the tape firmly against both sides of the glass, the pieces are soldered back together by heating an alloy composed of tin and lead. Kim then embellishes her sculpture with shells, stones or bull kelp, and a signature silver starfish is added to create a unique piece of art.

 Because the floats are so old and so rare, Kim reuses every piece, leaving nothing behind. The pieces of glass floats that were not used in one of her sculptures are tumbled in sand from Qualicum beach and water from the ocean. Consistently tumbling the glass pieces over a two weeks period until the sharp edges are smoothed and rounded will transform the discarded pieces of glass floats into beautiful sea glass, then worked into unique pieces of jewellery. Talking about her process, Kim shares how the accidental and the element of surprise plays a big part in her creations. “Because I break the glass floats with a hammer, I never know what I am going to get. I don’t have control over how the glass breaks, and this is part of what I like about it. The same thing happens when I put the pieces of glass in the tumbler, I have to wait and see how it all comes out. There are never two glass pieces that are the same and this makes this process all more beautiful.”

 Through her intervention of breaking, adding and subtracting elements from the glass fishing float, Kim strips the original object of its purpose and gives it a new life. Every creation is unique and inspired by the ocean as well as the artist’s personal experiences. As a self-taught artist, Kim took something that only started as a hobby and turned it into a beautiful artistic career. Initially focusing on her sculptural work, she didn’t make jewellery until the early 1990’s. Until then she saved all the discarded pieces of glass knowing one day, they would bring her the inspiration to create something unique. During our interview, Kim told me how she has a very supportive husband who, a few years ago, transformed their old garden shed, behind their house in Errington, into an art studio. “I wouldn’t have the freedom I do if I didn’t have this creative space he built for me; I am very grateful.”

 The name Keeping Afloat, that Kim works under, refers to how the islands of fishing nets are kept afloat on the surface of the ocean by the means of the glass fishing float she uses in her creations. After talking with the artist behind this name, I realized how it is also synonym of transformation and rebirth; the transformation of an empty space into a devoted one, the transformation of a hobby into an artistic career and finally, the transformation of a forgotten object into a memorable art piece.

To view available work visit our website:

https://www.reflectingspirit.ca/artists/kim-naylor

An Interview with surf artist Becky Luth

Reflecting Spirit Gallery has rencently had the pleasure of interviewing the talented surf artist Becky Luth about her work and  her artistic passion. “Most of her art is related to the ocean and has been inspired by her travels and experiences surfing, diving, snorkeling and exploring the beaches and tide pools.”

Meet Becky Luth!

Q:  Tell us about your background; where are you from; where do you currently live?

I grew up on a farm in rural Montana and as a little girl, dreamed of becoming a Marine Biologist.  At 17, I moved to San Diego, acquired a Marine Biology degree and made those dreams a reality.  Since then, my husband and I have traveled around the world and have lived in California, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania.  We currently live in the Okanagan region of BC.

Q:  When did you start painting and how did it become your career?

Growing up, I knew next to nothing about art, as my dreams were in the sciences, so I didn’t actually start to paint until after I was married.  My husband, Rick, is an artist and I used to watch him draw and paint.  One day he explained to me how to use colour and it opened up a newworld to me and I gave it a try…since then, I have not stopped painting and exploring the discovery that art is a science, and science is an art.

In 2012, art became the focus of my carreer . After living in Tanzania, where our oldest son was severely burned.  We had to make the decision to return to North America for his medical care.  This unforeseen move made a drastic change in my life and career as we were now inland, much too far away from the ocean for me to continue my life as a marine biologist and avid surfer.  This time of re-defining came through in my art and I began painting my first surf paintings of bold line and colours.  I also made the decision at that time to take ownership of my art and began to sign them as Beki and no longer RLLuth (Rebekah L. Luth) which was just a hiding behind my husband’s artistic talent who signed his work as RLuth. Signy, at Reflecting Spirit Gallery, was the first to take on my work and has been such an encouragement to me to keep pursuing!

Q: What inspires you the most?

My inspiration is largely from what is tangible in nature, especially the ocean, I am intrigued with the patterns and rhythms that often reflect and help us to understand patterns and rhythms in our own lives. But my fascination lies in the intangible, the hidden realms of our imaginations, our dreams, and our mysterious connection with an invisible Creator that created a visible world for us to explore and appreciate.

Q: How long have you been surfing for and where are your favourite surf spots?

I have been surfing off and on for almost 25 years.  Some of my favourite surf spots are in California; (Ventura County and San Diego), mainly because they are breaks that I surfed all the time and really got to know them.  The cold water surfing has been a change, but I have enjoyed surfing Cox Bay and North Chesterman in our times out to Vancouver Island. But in my years of surfing, Costa Rica tops them all.

Q: How would you compare surfing to art or art to surfing?

In surfing, my personal philosophy is, “if a wave presents itself, take it!” There is no harm in trying. What I love about surfing is every wave is different, and every break is different. Every time you surf a new break, you have to get to know it; the bottom topography, and how it is affected by the tides, the swell direction, and the winds.

Art to me has been like learning a new break, it has been a difficult learning curve and I have spent most of my time getting stuck in the impact zone pounded by wave after wave, often drowning in frustration and despair.  This process is humbling but strengthens the muscles and produces a perseverance and determination that keeps one going. The thrill and success however of riding a wave makes the hard work so rewarding.  Surfing and art are my favorite ways to explore and appreciate this visible world.

Q: What other artists are you influenced by?

My husband, Rick, has truly been my biggest influence, as well as my 4 artistic sons and their freedom of expression.  As for known artists, I really like the bold lines of Van Gogh, the abstract shapes of Lawren Harris and the way AJ Casson paints light. 

Q: Could you tell us about your artistic style and technique?

I can’t say I really have a particular style or technique yet as I am continually growing and changing, but I would have to say most of my work has bold shapes and colour. To me it is an expression of living the inner life out loud and I feel I am still in the ABC’s of this visual language, with small stories just beginning to form.

Q: What is your favourite project or art piece you have done?

I have a few stepping-stone pieces that I am pleased with such as: Portal to the Sea, Vancouver Island Surfing, Whale Balloons and Where the whales Play.  Usually they stem from a new opportunity or they go along with a breakthrough of huge frustration.  So many times I have wanted to quit and the times I have persevered, suddenly there it is.  (it’s a lot like learning how to surf actually!)

Q: How has your style changed over the years?

I began by painting impressionist landscapes in oil, and explored watercolours in various styles, but it was in teaching art to a Grade 1 class that really freed me into a more abstract style in acrylics. My style keeps changing with the opportunities that present themselves. A recent event, “Art Wars” that I participated in, (we had 20 minutes to complete a painting), really opened up and broke me out of my “attention to detail” style and I am excited to keep painting in this new found freedom!

Q: What are your future plans and goals?

Our lives have changed so much that it is difficult to make future plans and goals, but I do hope that one day I can be back by the ocean surfing and sharing my art.  With some of the latest, more imaginative pieces I have been doing, I would love to see them in a children’s hospital as a means of healing through this visual language.

For more of Becky's work: http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/artists/becky-luth

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A window into the Northwest First Nation Art and Culture

 Brian Bob holding one of his yellow cedar carving: "Dancing White Female Wolf In Moon Spirit"

Through his art, Brian Bob creates a window into the rich culture of his First Nation heritage. He sees art as an ongoing, living and breathing process, and a way of expressing his profound respect for the world we are part of. Brian whose traditional name Qwuyutsapool translates in English to “policer of the wolves”, was born and raised on Vancouver Island off the Canadian Pacific Coast. Inspired by the legacy of his ancestors, he studied the work of his elders to learn the traditional techniques to the art of carving and has been perfecting it for the past 40 years.

From Left to Right: Brown Eagle, Black Killer Whale, Yellow Cedar Eagle

Brian’s father, Wilson Bob, was the hereditary chief of the Snaw-naw-as, a Coast Salish First Nation on the East Coast of Vancouver Island. He was a strong artist, hunter, logger, fisherman and political activist; and always encouraged Brian to express his culture through art. For the Coast Salish peoples, red and yellow cedar, known as the “tree of life”, is the traditional choice of wood used for carvings, canoes, paddles, houses etc, and this choice of medium is reflected in Brian’s artwork. Brian’s mother, Fran Touchie from the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation of Ucluelet, also supported Brian and gave him the necessary tools to inspire his creativity and encouraged his beginnings as an artist. The Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation from the West Coast of Vancouver Island practiced whaling from traditional dugout cedar canoes that were hand carved by master carvers, a skill passed on from generation to generation. Being influenced by both families, Brian carries through his art, the uniqueness of the two Pacific Northwest culture and traditions.

Before being the carver he is today, Brian was first a painter. Traditionally, creating your own tools was part of the Nuu-chah-nulth process of becoming an accomplish artist. Brian embraced this tradition by making the paintbrushes he would use to paint out of his own hair. His learning process also involved studying the animals he would portray in his artwork. Brian would study the animal’s habits, their expression of emotions and the ways he personally connects with each animal. “When I work on a carving, of an eagle for instance, I focus and change my energy on the spirit of the eagle. This energy always changes depending on the piece I am working on and depending on the animal I am representing in my artwork. Some people see this process as a form of meditation; I simply call it becoming. It allows me to work on my intuition, to grow as an artist and most of all to see how we are all connected into a bigger portrait.”

  Title: Salmon & Eggs

Driven by aesthetic values and influenced by his social, cultural and political background; Spirituality is what resonates the most intensely from Brian’s artwork. Transcending language barriers while sharing his spiritual beliefs and the beliefs of his ancestors is one of the most important aspects of his art. Through his carvings, Brian honours how everything in our world is composed of a same continuous energy or spirit and how everything is therefore interconnected. During our interview, he told me: “I was encouraged as a young artist to focus on the essence of the animal's spirit I am depicting in my artwork. To make a connection, to honour its role and its place in the cycle of life.” “Salmon and Eggs” [ See picture above], is a perfect example of how he visually honours and celebrates the Circular Way of Life through his art. This carving depicts a stained yellow cedar salmon featuring eagle heads carved along its upper body and carved salmon’s eggs with inlaid abalone shells along its lower body. Here, Brian tells the story of how Eagle's spirit lives within Salmon. The salmon gives itself as food to the eagle and gives up its own existence to support the eagle's life. By doing so, the spirit of the fish lives on and is therefore transformed into Eagle. The abalone shells decorating the fish’s belly, represents the eggs that will later grow into many mature salmons which will feed future eagles insuring that the cycle could begin again the following year.

When I asked him how he first started carving, he told me how his uncle, Tom Touchie, was a totem maker whose work reflects the Touchie family's connection to the Nuu-chah-nulth traditional territories and how Wallace Touchie, Brian’s grandfather, was a great canoe carver. “Everything my grandfather did, he did with the same creative energy in his life. That has been the biggest influence in my art and wanting to impress and honour them both, I followed their path and started carving.” Throughout the years, Brian developed his own distinctive style based on his personal intuition and desire to honour his Nuu-chah-nulth connection to his mother and his Snaw-naw-as relation to his father. Brian creates artwork collections of the animals representing the northwest coast of British Colombia to give a well-rounded presentation of the area and its culture. His iconography includes salmons, eagles, ravens, killer whales, hummingbirds, sea otters and these are only a few examples of the motifs that inhabit his artwork collections. Working mainly with locally sourced yellow cedar, one of the world’s finest type of wood, valued for its strength, extreme durability and outstanding beauty, he also works with white pine (also known as sugar pine), for its straight grain and uniform texture and often embellishes his carvings with abalone shells and copper. 

  Title: Red Salmon II

His carvings demonstrate a fine balance of traditional and contemporary art form and the talent of an artist who has master a unique style of woodworking. Traditionally, Northwestern woodcarvings were more abstract in style than Brian’s carvings. With his artwork, the animals represented are more easily recognizable as he embraces a more realistic iconography. All his work is hand carved on locally sourced wood, sanded and stained to add color or coated with a clear finish to protect the wood and enhance its beauty. His colour palette can go from a natural yellow cedar tone, to black, passing by red mahogany and some colourful blues. Brian explained to me how his colour palette is deeply connected to the different seasons. The reds and the blues are symbolic of spring and summer, while winter and fall are represented through an earth tone color schemes. For example, Brian represents the spring salmons in blue while the spawning salmons returning to their natal rivers are stained in vibrant a red, black or green. Brian also enjoys working with interference paint, an iridescent pigment that changes colour depending on the angle the artwork is viewed from. Traditional carving technique and subject matter are then brought together with a contemporary style and colour palette in Brian’s work to create a unique and personal view on the Northwest art.  

It is essential for Brian Bob to create works of art in an honouring way, to respect and honour the life we have been given and to demonstrate the significance of the concepts of “Oneness with the Creator” and “Oneness with all Life”.  His art practice is also a way of honouring and sharing his cultural heritage: “With my artwork I aim to create a window into the rich culture of my people. I like to honour the energy that my mother and the Ucluelet people passed on to me. And I would also like to mention how the Reflecting Spirit Gallery played an important role in honouring my cultural heritage and how it has always respected and encouraged the traditional teaching of our First Nations communities in a contemporary presentation.”

Title: Consumer - Ling Cod

http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/artists/brian-bob

Kris Walker’s Women Of The Sea

                                                                                                                                                             Title: " The Herald"

Kris Walker, a Vancouver Island mixed media artist living in Nanoose Bay, has a creativity that is constantly nourished by her strong connection to family. Her loved ones are not only a source of inspiration for her artwork, but also at times part of the artistic process. Through her handcrafted mermaid sculptures, Kris depicts family scenes, motherhood and children at play. She shares a deeply personal yet universal subject. At the heart of her artwork, are the simple pleasures in life; moments to be cherished: "I am constantly searching for ways to simplify life so I have taught myself to observe sources of happiness, especially in children. It is this process that leads me to my concepts."

 Growing up, Kris’s mother was working with a volunteer group designing props and sets for the theatre. She always encouraged her daughter artistically and made sure to include her in her projects. Kris told me, the best advice she ever got as an artist came from her mother: “She always told me how in art as in life everything is possible; you simply need to grab it by the tail and give it a try. There was never anything my mom would not take on as an artist.” So, Kris started sculpting clay when she was only eight years old and fell in love with the medium right away. After high school she went on to study Graphic Design and Applied Photography at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. She discovered her medium of choice about 6 years ago when she attended a one day course on recycled fabric and mixed media sculpting.

Kris’s sculpture showcases the love she has for her family and it is often through the imagery of the mermaid that she does so. These legendary marine creatures with the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the tail of a fish, have long fascinated humans and appear in the folklore of many cultures, including the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia. From Hans Christian Andersen's well-known fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" to John William Waterhouse influential painting entitled A Mermaid from 1901, these mysterious creatures have been a popular subject of art and literature.

Often confused with other anthropomorphic mythological creatures such as the sirens who were dangerous yet beautiful creatures known for luring sailors to their doom with their enchanting voices, mermaids were considered to be very beautiful and gentle creatures that were helping sailors and others travelling through the seas. The earliest mention of mermaid-like figure goes back to the Classical Antiquity with the ancient Syrian goddess Atargatis. She was a fertility goddess who was also responsible for the safety and well being of her city and its people.

         "Hello"                                           "Whale Watching"                                     "Anticipation"

 http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/artists/kris-walker

Not unlike the Syrian goddess Atargatis, Kris’s mermaids are portrayed as loving and caring creatures. Although she has created pieces inspired from the mythological sirens, most of her artwork features anthropomorphic marine creatures that possess the qualities of their close cousin. From her iconography often emerges the image of the expecting mother and maternal tenderness through the image of a woman wrapping her arms around her children in an affectionate and protective matter. Kris has the wonderful ability to capture the simple moments she shares with her loved ones and to breathe her love and tenderness in her sculptures. Serenity and peace emerges from her pieces, even without giving them facial expressions, the body language of her mermaids, lets us perceive the feelings and emotions of a loving and caring mother.

Title: "The Herald"

The creation of her mixed media sculpture often begins with Kris contemplating the beauty of the night or breathing the salty air of the west coast shoreline of Vancouver Island. Kris often finds herself walking along the beach imagining mythological creatures like mermaids emerging from the deep sea and wonders about their universe and activities. To bring these marine creatures to life, Kris starts by shaping a metal wire, which is then wrapped in tinfoil and embedded in cardboard. When the sculpture’s skeleton and shape is complete, she is wrapped in recycled fabrics, which has previously been soaked in a hardening medium. Kris then sculpts the fabric into the desired shape and uses cotton strings to create the hair. Once dry, she gives the sculpture about four layers of paint to create her color palette.  She then competes the process with her signature metallic paint and varnish, giving the sculptures iridescence similar to a fish scales.

Through her creations, Kris lets us discover a universe of love and simplicity where she celebrates the importance of family in ones life. For Kris Walker, art is a family matter. Encouraged by her mother as a young girl and now inspired by a daughter of her own, Kris depicts through the imagery of the mythological mermaid, the care, affection and protection of a mother. During our interview, Kris shared with me how her experience in raising her daughter stimulates much of the imagery found in her pieces: “ my art is about how life changing it is to have a daughter. I feel privileged to have such an amazing child; she is an inspiration to me.” Without a doubt, this maternal love and tenderness is beautifully rendered in Kris Walker’s mixed media sculptures, which makes them uniquely inspired by the West Coast and love of a child.

The Reflecting Spirit Gallery is presenting, from March 18th to April 3rd, a mermaid themed art show celebrating the return of the gray whales to British Columbia's west coast. This event will be featuring various artist from Vancouver Island, including Kris Walker who created, for the occasion, a life size mermaid entitled "The Herald" !

 http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/artists/kris-walker

Comox Artist Puts Smiles On Faces

Text By Valerie Luquette

Emanating peace and serenity, Courtney Powell’s wooden masks are created with the intention of making people smile.

Growing up in Powell River on Vancouver Island, Courtney has always been close to nature. During our interview, he expressed how important it is to him to respect and care for the earth. Living in a cabin surrounded by the rainforest in Comox, Courtney lives a self-sufficient life by hunting, fishing and growing most of his food. He always loved nature and spent most of his life in the forest. Once a logger and the owner of a mushroom picking company, Courtney knows Vancouver Island’s forests like the back of his hand; thus when a friend from Hornby Island introduced him to woodworking, he was immediately inspired and knew exactly where to find wood pieces of the highest quality.

This talented and creative Comox Valley artist has the wonderful ability to breathe life into still material, letting us see, through his carved natural edge burl bowls and joyful masks, the beauty embedded in the art of woodturning and woodcarving. For over twenty-five years, the grain, color and texture of the various types of wood found on the west coast have intrigued Courtney Powell and inspired him in the creation of beautiful art pieces.

Working exclusively from locally sourced material, Courtney started his artistic career through woodturning, a unique technique that can be traced back many thousands of years. This technique differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving on an axis of rotation, with the help of a machine tool called a lathe, while a stationary tool, such as a chisel, is used to cut and shape it. In all other forms of woodwork, it is the tool that is moving and the wood remains stationary. Using this technique, Courtney started exploring the medium and creating unique wooden bowls, plates and vessels.                                                                                     

Soon, he began to integrate free-hand carving into his woodturning work, combining this transition with a fascination for the human face. Courtney was artistically influenced by Tofino artist and friend Gael Duchene who also found inspiration in the beauty living within Vancouver Island’s rainforest. Gael carved magnificent yet gentle faces on large pieces of turned wood embellished by wood burning patterns and inset stones. The two artists greatly appreciated each other’s work and collaborated for many years: “she is part of how I became the artist I am today”. Nurturing their creativity and collaboration, Courtney would turn beautiful wooden bowls which Gael brought to life by decorating the surfaces to create unique west coast inspired works of art.

Focusing mainly in the creation of moon and heart-shaped masks, Courtney celebrates the beauty of Vancouver Island rainforest and its ancient trees by letting the wood guide him in his creations without a predetermine design. His technique and stylized carving lets the wood express its own qualities with all its natural imperfections. Courtney chooses to work with yellow and red cedar old growth burls above all types of wood because of their wonderful grain structure, density and polished glassy finish. Burls have been called “Jewels of the forest” and they are prized for their beauty and rarity.

To create his masks, Courtney shapes a piece of wood on the lathe into a hollow wooden bowl and then leaves it to dry for at least two years ensuring the stability of the wood and preventing the appearance of cracks. Only after that period of time, can the wood be hand-carved, sanded and polished with beeswax. Incorporating copper to some of his masks, Courtney creates contrast between the warmth of the wood and the metal while mastering a beautiful combination of these natural elements. The signature patina of the copper is the result of a unique recipe concocted by the artist himself. Exposing the metal to salt, sawdust and a variety of secret ingredients, Courtney reveals a beautiful variation of texture and colors that were hiding within the natural proprieties of the copper.

Through the natural beauty of cedar old growth burls Courtney nurtures a profound respect for the earth and is able to aesthetically, emotionally, visually and tactilely move us.  Wanting to engage the viewer on several levels of appreciation when admiring his artwork, Courtney expressed how the sense of touch, because of the satin finish of his masks, is as important as the sight to fully appreciate his work. His art is meant to evoke emotions of happiness: "I love carving, it's about emotion. If it makes me smile, it will make everyone smile."

http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/artists/courtney-powell

Block Printing The West Coast:

An Interview With Ucluelet Artist Allison Tremain

Text and photography by Valerie Luquette

"Spawning Salmon", Allison Tremain

 Allison Tremain, originally from Ontario, is a Ucluelet based printmaker known for her hand-pulled linocut prints and her involvement with non-profit societies such as the Clayoquot biosphere trust or the Wild Pacific trail. Inspired by the fauna and the flora of Vancouver Island’s West Coast, all of Allison’s artwork derives from her personal experiences. Translating with ink onto paper the beauty found in the landscape surrounding her, Allison’s artwork focuses on the representation of iconic animals of the area, such as whales, salmons, sea lions and birds; as well as the more subtle beauty living in the fine little details of nature.

Captivated by her work, I wanted to know more about the artist and what makes her prints so unique. So, on one rainy day in December, I visited Allison in her 225 square foot studio to ask her a few questions about her work.

 Her Work

To learn a new art technique, in 1998, Allison attended a printmaking workshop in Campbell River. This is when she realized all the potential inherent to this medium and all the possibilities that would open to her by exploring them. Right there and then, she loved working with a tool that was not a pencil or a paintbrush and how the carving tool allowed her to bring a certain amount of energy into her artwork. Even before becoming a printmaker, Allison had been painting for many years, using a palette knife instead of a paintbrush to do so. Influenced by the impressionists and great printmaker Sybil Andrews, Allison put her head down and developed her own style while always pushing herself out of her comfort zone. Over the years, she developed a personal signature, nature inspired prints characterized by their unique color palette. Often working with complementary colors and the contrast between a warm and a cold color palette; Allison frequently adds metallic ink to her artwork, on their own or mixed with another color, for the iridescence it brings to her prints.

To create her prints, Allison always works with a visual reference, usually a photograph she took, and carves the image into a soft rubber pad before applying the wet ink to its surface and transferring it onto paper. For some artists, the printmaking process involves producing an individual block or pad for each color wanted in their multicolored print and inking, in a particular sequence, each block to produce the entire image. This allows them to print their image as many times as they want. Whereas, Allison carves away each color (usually 4-6 colors) in succession from one single rubber pad printing one color at the time between each carving. The image then slowly emerges while the actual block is destroyed. And because of this technique, called reduction printing, once she has completed the pre-determined number of prints she wants in her edition, she cannot reprint the image anymore. “It’s done and it can’t be redone” and because each print is hand-made, each one is unique.

"Barnacles And Mussels", Allison Tremain

From Science to Art

Having studied Earth and Oceans science in university, Allison worked for over 10 years as a scientist in research and as a consultant for universities, federal and provincial governments as well as the private sector. During this period of her life, her main focus was the scientific study of water, rocks and soil. Knowing this, I asked Allison how her scientific background influences her artistic life. She explained to me how after 5 years of university, she got the answers to her questions and no mystery was left behind. And because she focused, during those years, on the non-living, the fauna and the flora now fascinate her and inspire her to create. “Everything is new and exciting!” says the artist.

Combined, education and work, Allison spent 14 years in the science field but told me how she did not like where things were going and how it made her feel. When I asked her what gave her the final push she needed to dive into the arts, Allison explained to me how moving here, to Ucluelet, was decisive for her. “Two things were really important in my life in 2010. First, I wanted to love where I lived and I wanted to identify with the landscape surrounding me. In a way, I think that’s what we are all seeking. The second priority was being self-employed, so I gave myself the opportunity to [become a full time artist and dedicate my life to my art.]”

Although her first year, as an independent artist, was very hard, Allison tells me how this decision was liberating for her. Always encouraging people to have a creative life, she realized how in western culture we tend to separate art from life. This is especially true for someone coming from science, where everything has to be categorized and labelled. However, beauty and art are vital features of life and Allison expressed during our interview how much she now appreciates a life-style where the line between art and life is blurred and where they merge together.

With this perspective, Allison will soon begin a new art project. Celebrating Canada’s landscape and diversity, she will be, during the summer of 2016, driving from coast to coast to create a new series of work called Canadiana. With this new series, the artist want’s to create iconic images representing Canada, images showing a different perspective on our landscape and culture and that most Canadians will be able to identify with.

Be sure to come to the gallery to view her new work and to follow her “Go fund me” campaign in the coming year!

http://www.allisontremain.com/

http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/artists/allison-tremain

The holidays are upon us and it is a perfect time to give back to your community by shopping locally and supporting your local artists. If you find yourself in need of inspiration, we've got you covered! Here is a selection of unique and unexpected gift ideas people will appreciate this holiday.

For the whale lover

A Jade whale tail necklace, Allison Tremain’s hand pulled block cut print Humpback Breach or, Norm Moyen’s  carved wood Gray Whale

For the book loving friend

A is for Amphitrite by Ucluelet artist Shirley Martin, a G&L’s fabulously funky bookmark or Ursula Bank’s memoir:  Once in a Lifetime

For the jewellery lover

One of Robert Andrew’s jewellery box or, a piece of Shantari’s unique jewellery

For the foodie

Some handcrafted kitchen implements from Arbutus Art, "The Teatime" art calendar by local artist Marla Thirks or, a cutting board crafted from Vancouver Island wood by Andre St. Cyr

For the little ones

A hand crochet mermaid by Ucluelet artist Joy Lynn Eyford or, a woolen Cougar hat by Fatima Blush

For the surfer

One of Andrew Talbot's art print, a surf board bookmark crafted from Vancouver Island wood by Andre St. Cyr, or one of Rika's graphic prints

PACIFIC COASTAL MERMAIDS
A MERMAID SONG TO THE RETURN OF THE GREY WHALE
MARCH 15th - 23rd, 2014

Ucluelet Reflecting Spirit Gallery
1636 Peninsula Rd.in Davison's Plaza
UCLUELET, BC, Canada  *  http://www.reflectingspirit.ca
For Information 250 726-2422 or Toll Free 1 855 726-2420

A Partner event of the Pacific Rim Whale Festival http://www.pacificrimwhalefestival.com

An enchanting ART EXHIBITION of MERMAID and UNDERWATER WORLD paintings, sculpture, drawings, jewelry, glass and First Nations art.

Enjoy the following blog and artwork by
'Pacific Coastal Mermaid' 2014 Poster Artist
Yvonne Maximchuk
'Deep Sea Maiden Dreams' watercolor painting
  http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/gallery/product/deep-sea-maiden-dreams

An Artist's Life, as Mermaid      by Yvonne Maximchuk

Mermaid....Enchantress, seductive siren, storm-maker, unattainable, mysterious sister to the seal, half fish-half woman of the sea. Where better can one feel most deeply ones feminine and fecund self, as when incarnate as sea creature, a-swim in the brine of the eternal source of everything?

Ah, mermaid dreams. I feared I might lose them as I grew out of my girlhood reveries and took my place in the world as a practicing artist. yet the magic of the undersea mermaid world never left me and continues to inspire and inform my imagination and artistry. The ocean, not far from my door and never far from my thoughts is ever-present and takes its place as my most favoured theme in any medium.

I find it an easy task to treat the mermaid as simply another of the amazing denizens to be found in the shadowed liquid depths. Why look for proof or pictures when so much remains unseen along with her and her kind? Being 'in mermaid' enables me to view from underneath, the surface; to see the flash, ripple and flow of the sky-water interface, split with sunlit refractions and a-bubble with whipped-jello froth; all so inspirational to the artistic compulsion. It enables me to swim alongside the dolphin, whale and porpoise and note how their bodies work as they move through the sea. 'In mermaid' I can conceive of other sensory equipment that human's lack, yet a creature of the sea might have.

Being 'in mermaid' brings me into my body afloat; sinuous, boneless, weightless. The freedom of the body from gravity liberates the imagination and lets it loose to roam untethered. Being 'in mermaid' allows me to investigate the wondrously varied marine flora and fauna that inhabit, decorate and enliven the watery membrane that encircles the earth.

That one small imagining, that I am a mermaid, is my passport to the fantastic marvels of the known and illusory universes, and to the great joy of the artist, which is simply to enact art; and after the joy of the art-making, to offer the results to the viewer, who may welcome it, or even find it, like the artist, as necessary as breathing.

'Kelp Maiden' watercolour painting by Yvonne Maximchuk

'This painting represents the artist herself as
'in mermaid'
http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/gallery/product/kelp-maiden

 Yvonne Maximchuk
a life long working artist lives near Echo Bay on Gilford Island, at SeaRose studio, where she paints the islands and inlets (and mermaids) of the inside waters of Vancouver Island in watercolor and acrylic. She also makes porcelain tableware with decorative marine theme and offers personalized art instruction and art retreats.

Yvonne is author of a memoir 'Drawn To Sea; Paintbrush to Chainsaw, Carving out a Life on BC's Rugged Rainforest' and co-author will Bill Proctor of 'Full Moon Flood Tide'.

'Playmate in the Kelp' watercolour
http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/gallery/product/playmate-in-the-kelp

Yvonne Maximchuk's work can be viewed at Tofino and Ucluelet Reflecting Spirit Gallery http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/artists/yvonne-maximchuk
http://www.reflectingspirit.ca
and her on-line gallery http://www.yvonnemaximchuk.com

'Pregnancy Blues' watercolour painting by Yvonne Maximchuk
http://www.reflectingspirit.ca/gallery/product/mermaid-pregnancy-blues

Musician, painter, silk screen printer, author and illustrator (and friend of the Reflecting Spirit Gallery) Julie Robinson will be visiting our Ucluelet Gallery location this Saturday to sign copies of her new book, Project Monster's Alphabet Adventure! We're really excited to have her here.

Come visit the gallery between 12 and 4 and meet Julie, see her art work, visit and enjoy refreshments.

Purchase your own hard copy first edition of Julie's colourful, fun to read children's book, featuring her endearing Creatures. Your personally signed copy is $20 including tax, and is a wonderful gift idea for children aged 0 to 8.
Great Christmas gift and stocking stuffer!

It's going to be lots of fun, so we hope to see you here!