Preview of ADAPT

Over the last year I realized that I'd been inadvertently working on a series of maps of the Avon River, the Minas Basin and the Bay of Fundy, some of which became the series Within Every Fibre (2016), What We Leave Behind (2017) and Options (2018).

Option C and Option D, on display at the Bread Gallery as a part of Culture Days, September 2018

With these felted maps I was exploring the scars left on the landscape by the hands of man; a record of the environment adapting in response to manipulations made by man (the causeway, dykes, gypsum mines, roads and rails).

Currently in the Avon region there has been much discussion regarding the twining of Highway 101 along the Windsor Causeway and how to resolve some of the environmental issues that were created by the initial construction 50 years ago. The lack of proper fish passage has greatly restricted migration for spawning endangered wild Atlantic Salmon and the constricted tidal flow has led to a massive build-up of silt throughout the entire Avon River, extending as far as Hantsport, leading to much erosion along the shoreline of the Avon and the other rivers that feed into it, like the St Croix and Kennetcook.

As a result the mudflats, which historically would only be visible at low tide, continue to increase in mass regularly with each flood tide. When keeping a keen eye on the daily movements of the river, subtle changes can go unnoticed. After a three month lapse away from view, the build-up is unmistakable. 

After a number of years of watching the girth of the mudflats increase from season to season, I gradually came to appreciate that I was witnessing the rebirth of a saltmarsh within the river. Its ever increasing presence wasn't necessarily something to fear, but rather something to embrace, accepting the role it plays in supporting a diverse variety of life, and that it may serve an important roll in protecting our little corner of the planet as we enter this era of climate crisis.

Prior to 1604 salt marshes were extensive throughout the upper Bay of Fundy, 80% of these were lost as a result of dyking by the Acadians. When the Windsor Causeway was constructed it disrupted the natural tidal prism and within a number of years a saltwater marsh was well on its way to establishing itself. It has been reported that the marshland is growing at a rate of 2ha a year. To date there seems to be very little discussion relating to the rapidly increasing and productive saltwater marsh that is gradually expanding to fill the river, exacerbating erosion and impacting many residents and landowners along the shoreline of the river as it feeds into the Minas Basin.

Avon River in the 1890s. On display as a part of ADAPT, opening 11am on September 28th, 2019 at the Artists Landing Gallery, located in the upper level of the Avon River Heritage Museum in Newport Landing/Avondale.

With my position at the museum being seasonal, throughout the colder months I rarely get to experience daily life on the Avon River as I visit the community less frequently. Each spring when I return to work I find that I’m taken aback by how, within a few short months, the surrounding landscape has been so drastically altered. Mudflats continue to rise while the shoreline collapses. Hints of green spartina make themselves known, off in the distance, providing the first hint of what to expect next.

Over the past year I have created a series of maps depicting the ecological changes that have taken place in the area surrounding the site of the causeway over the last few centuries due to the hands of man. Inspired by historical references and existing maps and photographs I have rendered in fibre what the upper bay of Fundy and Avon region looked like when first colonized, how it has continued to morph drastically throughout the last century, and what to expect in the near future as tides continue to rise and saltwater marshes reestablish along the Avon.

1960s

1970s

1990s

2000s

During Culture Days I will be exhibiting my entire collection of maps created over the last several years in a pop-up showcase entitled ADAPT, on display at Artists Landing Gallery, located in the upper level of the Avon River Heritage Museum, 17 Belmont Road, Newport Landing/Avondale.

Free the Flow!

On the morning of September 10th, 2018 I found myself with some very unexpected free time on my hands. My previous commitments had been put on hold indefinitely and I suddenly had the space freed in my mind to bring myself back to thoughts of me. 

I'd been so wrapped up all summer taking care of business (so to speak), I hadn't had time to think about me; what did I need? I had been balancing work and volunteering for so long that I was surprised at how cathartic it was to sit down and take some time to really consider who I am at this moment in time in my life, in my career and as an artist. 

I was reminded of my previous ambitions to apply for funding to create a giant felted map depicting the entire Bay of Fundy and her tidal river fingers. All that old inspiration I'd bottled up while I was tackling Makers and the museum was starting to bubble back to the surface and I immediately had to sit down at the computer, pouring out a self motivational post that I quickly discovered that I wasn't quite brave enough to share with the world just yet.

Later that day and over the next few days I completed three pieces of art, the next week (with Makers still closed) I did the same again, and then, having to adapt quickly to change I found myself with the opportunity to share my series of recent works, Piece by Piece, as a part of Culture Days, with a pop up show at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn.

How I envision Option C for the highway 101 upgrade.

 Option C and Option D for the highway 101 upgrade.

Heather Desveaux from the Valley Harvester, who believe it or not was the person who first introduced me to the community of Avondale, stopped by the gallery to ask me a few question about my recent work. As you can see our familiarity made it easy (maybe a bit too easy) for me to express my passion for her majesty the bay and this beautiful county we live in.

 

Now that this article has been put out into the world I'm finally ready to share that post that got me fired up and released this recent rushing flow of creativity!

Artist. 

Artist, that is a word I've struggled with. As a child when asked the question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I answered an artist. I was told that wasn't a real job. That only made me more determined. I took special lessons as a youth and eventually ended up at art college and earned my BFA... but still I wasn't comfortable saying I was an artist. Artistic sure, creative and inspired indeed... but after earning a degree and seeing what it actually takes to make it in this world as a professional artist I still didn't feel entitled to bear that title.

Here I am decades later and I still struggle with living up to what it is to truly be an artist. It's one thing to be able to make pretty pictures and even sell items you've made by hand, but somewhere in the back of my mind I feel like my work needs to really say something or evoke some sort of emotional response from the viewer to be considered real honest art. Honestly, as much as it pains me to say, the majority of my work this last decade has been decorative art. Oh what a dirty word. Decorative. Yes, they are beautiful and may make you feel good, but I'd like to push more.

I must say however that I am incredibly proud of the non-decorative work I've contributed over the last few years and I think going forward, to truly fulfill my need to be a true representative of what I feel most passionate about, I need to focus on telling those stories.

I'm not saying that I'm going to stop felting pretty landscapes and doing portraits of nature's creatures, because I don't think I could ever stop, they are a continual source of love and inspiration and sometimes it feels really good to felt an adorable fox or an elegant Great Blue Heron... but for now I think I'm going to take a wee walk down a more challenging path and felt out all my feelings about the irresponsible acts that are shaping our environment.  I need to speak up about what I believe to be a horrible mistakes that needs to be rectified immediately before we start referring to the genocide of much of the aquatic life within the Minas Basin.

Yeah, you can see why I sat on that one a while. Promptly after hitting save draft I went and started making the first in a series of portraits of sturgeons, whales and fish that had recently passed through the blades of the abandoned turbine followed by a series on the Windsor causeway... still continuing with that series to date with a plan for a proper exhibition.