www.markpenneygallery.com

Raven, Cayote’s World by Terry Jackson
Slip-Cast Porcelain Vessel 7.5″x4.75.5″x7.5″
$130

Raven and Coyote are both important characters in many Indian stories, as they symbolize the creative intelligence bestowed on us by the Creator.
I watch them almost every day and see them use their minds and instincts to not only survive but to create their own games just for fun.One of the attributes of this trickster mentality, however, is the propensity to sometimes be a little too smart for their own good.

-Terry Jackson

They’re collectible, and highly regarded as gift items. Each piece comes in it’s own form fitted, satin lined box.Raven

Breath by Terry Jackson
Slip-Cast Porcelain Vessel 6.5″x3″x9″
$99

This intriguing shape, carved with alternating geometric and curvilinear designs, relates to the basic fact of life – our breath, moving inward and utward, as depicted by the spiral design. Each of us must consume air and expel it to live, in an ongoing exchange with nature that is fundamental and absolute. When this starts and where it ends is a question only the Creator can answer. It is said that we must die to live.

-Terry Jackson

They’re collectible, and highly regarded as gift items. Each piece comes in it’s own form fitted, satin lined box.

Salmon Child by Terry Jackson
Slip-Cast Porcelain Vessel 9″x4.5″x10″
$140

The idea of the Salmon Child comes from the old Northwest Coast stories about salmon who were really human beings wearing fish clothes. Many traditions were built around the salmon, and the first one caught as it returned from it’s four year ocean journey to spawn was honored as a visiting chief. The timeless life-cycle of the salmon is still fascinating to observe, but unfortunately this great food chain is failing today as modern man fails to recognize these great fish as sacred beings that we should honor and treat with great respect.

-Terry Jackson

They’re collectible, and highly regarded as gift items. Each piece comes in it’s own form fitted, satin lined box.

Complete World II by Terry Jackson
Slip-Cast Porcelain Vessel 9″x4″x10.5″
$160

In this piece I express my love of the earth by bringing together the entire world, with it’s swirling weather systems and interaction of the elements.This shows my deep interest in scroll and spiral forms. To myself, the introduction of the stepped curve has also been a revelation in my work. It brings a balance between the solely curvilinear ideas expressing the idea of Earth’s completeness.

-Terry Jackson

They’re collectible, and highly regarded as gift items. Each piece comes in it’s own form fitted, satin lined box.

Eagle, Beaver Kit by Terry Jackson
Slip-Cast Porcelain Vessel 6.5″x4.5″x8″
$170

This double vase displays on one side a young eaglet, while the other shows a beaver baby, or ‘kit’. it is enjoyable to watch all young animals as they grow and learn.
On the Kettle rive here, the beavers swim and build small lodges on the river bank, sometimes felling the odd tree for food. There are also eagle nests, and the late spring is a busy time for eagle parents as each takes it’s turn warming the egg and feeding the eaglet. A young eagle must also be taught the proper hunting and soaring techniques to live a long life

-Terry Jackson

They’re collectible, and highly regarded as gift items. Each piece comes in it’s own form fitted, satin lined box.

Remember Where We Come From by Terry Jackson

Native Silver Bracelet
Fine Silver (68.23 g)
$1575.00

In this amazing piece of silver jewelry, Metis artist Terry Jackson, shows a development of man, by depicting the human in several forms; ovoid, man, spirit. Elegantly carved with stepped arches and a mottled background detail, the motif wraps around this wide cuff. It’s a eye catching piece of native silver with a intriguing form line depiction of man.

It’s not unusual for a client to want a piece of art shipped, many of our customers are here on vacation. Most people take thier purchase with them after it has been wrapped in bubble wrap, clingfilm, fitted with cardboard corners and a cover for the face of the painting.

To ship a painting a custom box is made from plastic cellular board, it’s tougher than cardboard and water  / spill resistant. I usually form a handle to make handling the art easier, and this gets a lot of compliments from the post office.

We send the packaged painting out by Canada Post, fully insured, and email you a tracking number. In North America rates are quite reasonable and delivery is never more than 10-11 days, 3 if it’s expedited. If the painting is remaining on Vancouver island we frequently use Tofino Bus / Island Coach Lines to deliver it same-day.

Terry Jackson porcelain ships exceptionally well. Terry has taken the time to have individualized boxes for each piece. They make great gifts and we get a lot of call for these as drop shipped gift items.

In Jingdezhen, China proper, Canadian Native Artist Terry Jackson hired Yaosheng Ceramics to produce his signature line of cast porcelain vessels. With help from Artist and Painter-President Thomas Leung, Terry translated the level of standards he expected the final product to be, ensuring the quality the finished pieces.

Yaosheng Ceramics is a leading producer of high-quality porcelains for international retailers and museums throughout the globe. Founded in 2000 by renowned artists H. Leung and Thomas Leung, the company offers outstanding handcrafted traditional and contemporary ceramic designs.  Their high-end porcelain is featured in museum stores, hotels, and public spaces, including the Smithsonian, the Getty Art Museum in New York, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Shanghai Art Museum, and many others. With Terry’s experience in direct casting from his own carving, he knew exactly what he wanted to convey to these accomplished artisans.

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Chinese artist and artisans are very proud of their ceramic arts which are rarely seen in North America. This manufacturer of high quality pottery and porcelain has earned the coveted ISO standards award for its consistency of product.

Yaosheng is based in Jingdezhen in northern China, the china capital of the world. Recognized for the quality of its clay deposits since the Chinese Imperial kiln was built there in the 13th century, Jingdezhen has been a ceramic arts center for the past 1,000 years. Today,Yaosheng employs master artisans trained in the region’s strong tradition of china craftsmanship to create its striking designs.

• Gump’s
• The Smithsonian
• The Boston Museum of Fine Arts
• The J. Paul Getty Museum
• The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
• The Wynn Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
• Cache Creek Casino Resort
• And many others

This type of casting is essentially the same that Terry himself used. This is essentially  all hand work  as opposed to any machine work such as plate and cup manufacturing. The Porcelain is fired to “cone 10′ in a gas kiln and is a true “hard paste” porcelain with its wonderful qualities of whiteness, smoothness and incredible Translucency.

Hand casting from wood originals  means  first making plaster negative moulds Then porcelain slip is carefully made. [ "porcelain that is made liquid using certain electrolyte type substances that actually make the clay particles repel each other and remain in suspension"] This liquid called a slip, is poured by bucket very carefully and methodically to fill a mould. After sitting for a determined time ,the excess is drained with care and set aside for a certain period until it is dry and firm enough to handle. This all takes experience and timing.

When the pieces are dry enough ,the work of trimming the spares off the tops of the pieces begins and all seams need to be fettled or cleaned and smoothed. Attention to details such as debris in grooves ,lost detail or material on surface is then given priority. The actual surface is sanded gently and painstakingly to make a fine polish in the firing stage.
After all this meticulous attention, the piece is fired with such skill and systematic knowledge that it is truly amazing.

Many of Terry’s vessels or vases have uniquely different designs on either side
Terry  presents  this quality of work in the type of box that would presents it with respect and honor that will make it a real collectible in the ages to come.

First carved in fine-grained yellow cedar with patience and care, they are translated into reproductions in fine white and translucent hard paste porcelain.  These artworks surpass the temporal nature of fashion and trend to become classical yet modern containers evoking a sense of connectivity and wholeness.

As with Terry’s earlier line “Tsolum River Studios” which he made himself for ten years, this porcelain is collected by diverse people with discerning tastes.

Tradition has to change sometimes. It has to be examined, tried and tested .What might of been appropriate earlier, has to take into account the present and future realities. With diligent care and study, slow considered changes are made to reflect this. To leave an art form, in an idea of it, leaves it only as nostalgia.”

-  Terry Jackson 2007

Made in beautiful white and translucent porcelain, these porcelain art vessels display and look wonderful in just about any home decor. Elegant and classical ,they will stand the test of time and  have become family heirlooms to pass down to the next generation.

True porcelain is very white, smooth, having a feel like no other clay. It is very hard and the most interesting quality is its good translucency. Bisque porcelain requires no glaze as it is totally vitrified, meaning the clay particles have fused like in glass.  Having deposits of very fine pure kaolins,  Jingdezhen is where porcelain is developed. The first porcelains were made just for the Emperors and later for trade. For many centuries the artisans of Jingdezhen created exquisite vessels that we seldom see in the west. Today the descendants of these masters still work this unique clay and produce outstanding  works of art in their own right.

The technique used in Terry’s line is called direct casting. Terry first carves an original in yellow cedar wood [a fine grained coastal wood] then makes direct cast from it. From there, moulds are made in which to produce these works of art. This technique can produce faithful reproductions of the original if certain care and attention is maintained. This part is still time and labor consuming and the quality shows this.

For ten years Terry had produced a line of limited edition vessels himself  running the successful “Tsolum River Studios” with his wife Irene, tackling the difficult issues true translucent porcelain has. After filling an order for IKEA Canada Ltd [Christmas gifts for employees] ,Terry spent the next two years carving this new line of wood originals and developing and testing with different  porcelain companies . Finally now view for yourself as to the high quality and value of these exquisite vessels.

Sometimes the strongest and enduring forms of art happen simply because of the need to collaborate and realize the vision that a new artform commands.
This website presents to you the latest project that North American Native Metis Artist Terry Jackson is working on. With over thirty five years experience with the Northwest Coast Indian art idiom and more recently ,forays into European classical scroll type design, Terry’s desire to integrate his diverse cultural heritages, led   to wood carvings  translated into artworks of Fine Translucent Porcelain.

With much care and thought, and with the rich history and skills from Yaosheng Ceramics in Jingdezhen, Terry has developed a growing line of Fine Artworks or vessels in high quality Porcelain. Over four years has gone specifically into the development and design of this project and the results are shown here for the first time. Working with different  fine porcelain making companies, he continued trying and testing until he found and finally produced  a product he is satisfied with ,and is able to consistently produce to the very high standards he requires. We welcome you to view these vessels of  unique and exquisite beauty.

The Metis are people descended from the original inter mixing of  European fur traders and first nation women during the eighteenth century and nineteenth centuries. European fur traders, specifically English and French sought to acquire beaver pelts for the hat fashions of the day in Europe. Around the settlement of Fort Gary [present day Winnipeg], fur traders without adequate survival skills and with economic desires to secure trading rights with the first nations, moved into and lived with the native women. These women had the skills to teach their live- in men how to survive the harsher prairie and northern climate. The children of these relationship developed a Buffalo hunting culture in Manitoba under the leadership of such gifted visionaries as Louis David Riel who led two resistances against the overbearing government of the day. The original artworks of the metis is the beautiful floral beadwork. The first nations people called the Metis ,the flower beadwork people.

Many people thought that the Metis were just a footnote in Canadian history until this last and new generation has taken a proud stance and are learning their proper genealogy and heritage. Louis Riel prophesized that artists would reawaken the Metis spirit and culture one hundred years later. His original vision of the intermixing of the best of European and aboriginal (first nation) culture and spirituality  is becoming and is starting to produce fruit.

Email: tjacksondesigns@xplornet.com
phone :250-446-2500
fax: 250-446-2500
Address: 4570 Highway #3 Rock Creek, British Columbia Canada
Mail: Box 265 Rock Creek, B.C. Canada V0H 1Y0

Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1955,Terry Jackson started passionately learning at the age of 16 ,some of the amazing qualities of the last century’s masters of Northwest Coast native art. With help and assistance from the Hunt family and other carvers ,Terry slowly learned and became highly skilled at the nuances of the northern style of Northwest Coast art. Interests in his plains heritage and  more recently European scroll type design, has broadened his artist sense. The last ten years has been a search for a new cultural expression for artists and Metis like himself. “To learn a language and to use it increases the range of expression available “.
Terry’s parents came from the Canadian prairies. His mother, a Metis, came from the village of Plum Coulee, Manitoba, where Metis and Europeans settled after the Riel resistances.

With blood-lines to the original fur traders as well to the the Cree and Sioux, Terry’s people were an interesting mixture of culture and race.
Terry Jackson has reached out to describe the Metis reality in the 21th century. Carving and designing for over thirty years, he has taken his love of Northwest Coast Indian art , his Plains Indian heritage and his European heritage and decided to see if these disparate worlds could be successfully integrated or blended.

He had access to the most amazing collections of Northwest Coast  Indian Art works at the Royal Provincial Museum . He was drawn to these masterworks and desired to know somewhat the culture and thinking behind them. This profound influence challenged Terry and directed the next many years of his life.

He sensed he was different, yet could not put his finger on why. In collections ,both private and public, his unique use of the form to describe his inner reality, brought the desire to bring to the visual world the reality of Metis thinking .That is ,the various conscious and unconscious mixing of form and spirit into  a living example of identity. Before the Metis were often known as derogatory “half-breeds”. “Half of something can never be a whole”-Terry Jackson. Now with confidence and the inner security of  being  a full person, Terry describes himself as a biracial person , one who is more than the sum of his parts.

His woodcarving has been collected by people such as;
The late John Candy comedian, actor
Glen Close actress
Ed Asner actor
Robert Davidson Haida master carver, designer extraordinaire

I know and respect each of the artists represented in the gallery, some I have worked with for many years, others have come to know me recently, through the gallery. I try not to limit the works to any specific genre, scale or medium despite my own personal biases.

It’s an absolute pleasure to admire, display, reproduce, sell artwork that I’m genuinely enthusiastic about.

Many visitors are amazed to learn how many artists are from Vancouver Island or who travel here to paint, study, vacation and sometimes to disappear for a while.

Charles Villiers seldom offers explanation of his work. He prefers to remain a bit of a mystery, leaving the viewer to form their own opinions of his art. Prolific painter, sculptor and more recently digital media artist, he’s made a transition that many artists struggle with; the process of making your art in different mediums without loosing your style. Somehow even highly technical compositions retain a bit of the innocence of his earlier figurative and nonobjective works. It’s not unlike the way you can still sometimes see the boy within a man.

Ken Kirkby is renowned at an internal level as a decisive canadian painter, he has a distinct graphic style formed by many bush miles. His paintings depict a minimal stillness not unlike other noted canadian realists. He’s a very passionate man who has a dedication to making an impact as an artist that goes well beyond painting.

Rob Elphinstone is a physicist whose area of expertise is the study of the northern lights. I find it fascinating that his work to quantify something ethereal is also reflected in his art, he’s an actualist painter and his paintings depict his experience, not technically what he saw.

Marla Thirsk – is known as Ucluelet’s artist, and I’d have to say she’s so much more. Almost every art event, function, group in the area has benefited directly from Marla’s help. The Whale Festival posters have been a calling card of hers for years. I’m pleased to have several exciting work of hers.

Jeff Edwards – a well known sculptor, and a well liked crab fisherman. Jeff chooses his stone from local area quarries, his works are highly prized. His enchanting bears, and marine mammals are well liked and collected, I’m happy to be showing several of Jeff’s figures, and shapes.

Joan Larson – renowned for her equine (horse) Illustrations, she works almost exclusively in pastels. We’re very pleased to showcase several of her local landscapes, and look forward her RCMP Musical Ride Series.

Peggy Burkosky – Known as a advanced watercolorist, Peggy is an capable painter in any medium. Her paintings have a sincerity about them, a true reflection of her island life. Sea scape scenes often include her daughter, family, or Bob’s fish boat, they are stunning paintings and portraiture. She teaches her secrets at the Old School House in Parksville.

Richard Hoedl – An accomplished painter, his bright whimsical style catches alot of attention. Richard paints in a walnut based oil on deep streched canvas.

Terry Jackson is a Metis artist working in carved wood, silver and cast porcelain. His contemporary use of materials lends a refreshingly clean look to his culturally based works. The porcelain is highly collectible, and the silver reflects an intrinsic value. Terry’s woodwork ranges from masks and wall panels to commissioned totem poles.

Jacqueline Windh, a Tofino based photographer, is well known for captivating seascapes and wildlife. Her work is frequently published and she regularly contributes to CBC Radio.

Nigel Brooks Peer is an art photographer of a different kind, he’s well travelled has worked in several genres, and is fascinated with reflections. He’s formed a style of his own in multiple image exposures, juxtaposing images, often on first blush they’re seemingly unrelated subjects, but subtle cultural refrences emerge to poke at your conceptions of art and photography.