www.markpenneygallery.com

Marla Thirsk Art, Cover of WineTrails Magazine

Wine Trails Magazine, Summer 2010 Issue features Marla Thirsk’s Art on it’s cover. Just inside the cover is explained the following:

Marla Thirsk was born in Vancouver, BC and showed an early aptitude for art by drawing in the cover pages of her father’s university books at the age of 2. Her Art career really started when she decided to change her life around by believing in herself and following her life-long dream of being a professional artist. Since then she has created award winning posters for the Whale Festival, Edge to Edge Marathon, Ukee Days and just finished one for the Tofino Food and Wine Festival. She has designed logos and costumes and done set design. She was president of the the Pacific Rim Arts Society for six years running. She has painted every mural in her town of Ucluelet but one and continues to be a major figure in the planning of local Art Events. She has worked in all mediums but oil. Her works have sold and gone worldwide. She proudly wears the title of “Towns’s Artist”.

The original acrylic paintings in the theme of the Tofino Food and Wine Poster on this issue’s cover are the newest venture for her. They are inspired by old photos ofher mother from the 30′s to early 60′s and old french postcards of the 1800′s and early 1900′s. with these new works she feels she has finally found her own unique style. for a more comprehensive look at her work, please visit her website (www.marlathirsk.com) or see her work at Cedar Corner Gallery in Tofino and Mark Penney Gallery in Ucluelet.

The magazine is widely circulated in BC and can be found at most BC Liquor and Beer & Wine Stores, the painting was created specifically for Tofino’s 8th annual Food and Wine Festival which ran June 4th-6th.

Academic and Artistic Studies:
BA UQUAM – University of Quebec, Montreal
Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris
Haliburton School of Fine Art
Cape Cod Fine Art School

Professional Affiliations:
FCA, active member Federation of Canadian Artists – Nanaimo chapter
Nanaimo and Oceanside Arts Councils
BRAVO – past president francophone visual artists of Ontario 1998-2002
Le Cercle des Artistes Peintures et Sculptures du Quebec 1998-1999

Exhibitions, and Commissions:
Diane has exhibited her work in numerous shows in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Diane’s work is on display at the Cascapedia River Museum (Gaspe) and selected galleries in B.C. Alberta and U.S.A. Her watercolour was selected by Soho-Myriad (Atlanta) for the Grand Hyatt, Aspen Colorado and is also regularly featured in Fly Fusion magazine. Commissions include work for Selene Dumaine (Maine guide and writer for Fly Tyer magazine) and Watermaster Boats (Montana). Diane’s fly fishing fine art is appreciated in private collections throughout Canada, the United States and in Europe.

Workshops:
Diane schedules time for providing workshops through galleries, and artist groups. Currently, weekly classes are available at the Craig Bay Community Resort in Parksville. Please contact Diane for availability in your area.

Artist Statement:
My watercolours describe the essence of fly fishing as told by exotic paraphernalia, rusty pick up trucks, fishin’ dogs and snazzy tackle. The story is about optimism, bits of fur and feathers, solitude and companionship. Each day on the river is notable in the mist off the water or the misadventure of the moment. Consequently, I am inclined to depict the everyday aspect of our passion amid the complexity of the water, light and colour. For it is this that fuels us in our inordinate conservation commitments and the nonstop chatter in the fly shop.

Dianne Michelin’s Website

Tuesday, April 26th, 2010, BC Legislature, Victoria, BC

Scott Fraser, MLA for Alberni-Pacific Rim will address the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Artist Joan Larson will be present for Mr. Fraser’s speech and public endorsement of Larson’s RCMP Musical Ride Series.

When Mr. Fraser visited our Fish, Ships & Lost Art Treasures exhibit during Whale Festival he casually remarked that he was considering a public endorsement of Joan Larson’s Musical Ride Series; He agreed that they represent a significant contribution to Canadian Art and that they should be preserved as a collection on behalf of all Canadians. I have to say I was impressed with Mr.Fraser’s knowledge and awareness of the Art scene and the of the many Artists in his riding. His continued support of the Arts is very much appreciated.

Scott Fraser ‘s official website: www.scottfrasermla.com

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

CREEKSIDE STUDIO AND RCMP MUSICAL RIDE ARTWORK

Scott Fraser: There are times in our communities when greatness shows itself. I believe that what I am about to describe falls into that category.

Recently I was invited to Creekside Studio near Qualicum Beach, owned and operated by artist Joan Larson and her husband, Paul Smith, who are visiting us today. Joan is arguably the best equine artist in the world. A proud Canadian, Joan grew up in a small prairie town until moving to Vancouver Island as a child. She worked tirelessly at her craft, perfecting her art, and was awarded the designation of Premier Pastellist with the Pastel Society of Canada.

She is embarking on a series of paintings celebrating the RCMP Musical Ride. When I visited her gallery, I was quite frankly in awe. I recall seeing the musical ride when I was a child, and this brought it right back to me. The quality of this work is phenomenal.

Joan Larson’s depictions of this Canadian iconic event are simply magnificent. Her and Paul’s vision is to take this series on tour to any and all communities that are interested and that have never been able to have the opportunity to host or sponsor a series of paintings of this magnitude or the musical ride itself.

Joan’s ultimate quest is to showcase the series at the National Gallery in Ottawa and bring these marvellous paintings of this major part of Canadian history past, present and future to the Canadian public. I urge everyone to check out her work on the website www.canadarides.ca. The collection is destined to be known as a significant statement of Canadian heritage for generations to enjoy.
In 2007 Joan began the first of her planned series of 20 paintings depicting the life of the RCMP Musical Ride. Last summer Creekside Studio created a special poster commemorating the B.C. tour of the musical ride. Proceeds from the sale of this poster during the ride performances went to a charity helping fund local B.C. communities.

video archive
transcript of the speech

Modern artist, Charles Churchill Villiers has just launched his new website: www.charlesvilliers.com.
Charles has constructed his own website and in doing so, has realized a long held goal of managing his own on-line presence.

The website, like his artwork, is more than a little avant garde. The site opens with the question “What is your most precious dream? “… it showcases recent paintings from Santa Fe, digitally created art and a cross section of past works in an astonishing variety of mediums.

One of Charles Villiers’ best assets is his ability to move freely from one medium to another without a disruption in his creative process. His work is process driven; filled with symbolism, iconography but arranged into compositions, often with a sophisticated colorists approach.

By the end of this week, Villiers should be arriving in London to make arrangements for a much anticipated showing of his recent works… in pursuit of his most precious dreams.

www.canadarides.ca
Joan Larson has launched a new website featuring her RCMP musical Ride Series of Illustrations. The pastel illustrations are amazing, and like the illustrations themselves, the new website is nearly complete.

I’ve watched people reach out to touch the horses and applaud as the men and women of the Ride paraded before them. I have seen and felt the special sense of what it is to be Canadian when I watch the Musical Ride. These horses and riders are uniquely Canadian and it was my goal and passion to produce a series of paintings that celebrate their pageantry and Canadian Heritage

~ Joan Larson

Teresa Knight’s recent work is full of atmosphere – she imbues what she sees with the emotions the scenes evoke within her. The softness of her style and the subtlety with which she uses colour help create this almost mystical experience. The viewer enters a new and special place outside of normal time where words are not necessary, but where experience is shared.

Teresa has been an artist for many years, and had a love for animals for as long. She got started in art when she and her sisters would pass rainy days at the cottage by drawing and painting, and Teresa continued in art.

She obtained her B.A. in Studio Arts and Bachelor of Education in Art from the University of British Columbia and now paints and teaches painting out of her Union Bay studio.

Teresa exhibits her work at local and West Coast venues. She hopes, eventually, to use her paintings to raise money to improve the lives of overlooked animals

Exhibitions

Teresa’s paintings are available at:

• Cedar Corner Art Gallery in Tofino BC www.cedarcornerartgallery.com
• Leaving Impressions Gallery in Qualicum Beach BC
• Mark Penney Gallery in Ucluelet BC www.markpenneygallery.com

Selected pieces are also available through Art Sales and Rentals at the Vancouver Art Gallery. www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/about_services2.cfm and some of Teresa’s work is available as limited edition prints from Casa Collection info@casacollection.ca

Teresa’s website is featured at the Agora Gallery website in New York www.agora-gallery.com

• 2009 – Winner, Honorable Mention, NAVS 20th International Art for Animals Classic.
• 2008, 2009 – Participating Artist, Local Colours, Courtenay BC
• 2008, 2009 – Originals Only, Comox BC.
• 2008 – Exhibiting Artist, Nautical Days, Comox BC.
• 2008 – Member Artist, Woodland Gardens Juried Show.
• 2008 – “Art that Barks” – group show, Heaventree Galllery, Vancouver BC.
• 2007 – “Here and There” solo exhibition at the Pearl Ellis Gallery, Comox BC
• 2007- “Animals in the Human Landscape”, with Anne Birthistle, at Heaventree Gallery, Vancouver BC.
• 2005 – Winner Best in Show, “Arts in Context: History and Sense of Place” juried exhibition, Muir Gallery, Courtenay BC.
• 2002 – Columbia Street Studio, Vancouver – solo art show “Cats in Heaven”.
• 1999 – Community Arts Council of Vancouver Group Show UnderEXPOSED Photo-based art works.
• 1996-98 – Deborah Worsfold Gallery – gallery artist.
• 1997, 1998 – A Walk Is…, Vancouver “Artists Make Home Good” group show.
• 1984 – Agnes Jamieson Gallery, Haliburton, Ontario – solo show “Portraits”.
• 1983 – Knight Gallery, Toronto, “Portraits”.

The Story of Nile Creek Salmon Enhancement Society, and their work restoring Vancouver Island streams, narrated by artist, Ken Kirkby.

The Nile Creek Salmon Enhancement Society has an official website of their own to raise awareness, but I’ve uploaded this from a DVD that the group has produced. YouTube requirements called for 10 minute clips, so it’s posted here in 2 parts.

More…

Artist, Colin T Bell is glad to have a website of his own to showcase his work on-line.

His new website www.colinbellart.com has recently been launched. A fellow-member of the Calgary Artists’ Society recommended an artist specific web service, and it seems it was a good fit. It’s a modest start of just a few pages, but overall the design and the photo galleries are simple and clean.

Colin Bell is a very capable painter in any medium. He’s recently painted a couple of pieces referencing my photography of the Wild Pacific Trail. I’m flattered, the paintings are stunning… here’s a peek.

“Paul should be congratulated on a book which gives an authoritative, overdue account of an extraordinary man.” ~ Lord Montigue of Beaulieu (in the forward of ‘The Man Who Supercharged Bond’, a biography of Amherst Villiers authored by Paul Kenny)

The extraordinary story of artist Charles Churchill Villiers’ father Charles Amherst Villiers has recently been published. I know Charles to be immeasurably proud of his father’s accomplishments, and of him as an artist and painter.

Amherst made a profound break from rocketry and engineering, to pursue painting; his very first portrait was of young Charles, the portrait sitting resulted in the two spending a great deal of time together and seems to have influenced Charles deeply in his identity as an artist.

Ian Flemming was a close friend and neighbor to the Villiers family. In 1962 Flemming commissioned a portrait which appeared in a limited edition of ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’. A young Charles’ childhood stories are credited to the formation of ‘Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang’ the children’s book, and later hollywood movie, which is undeniably based on the Villiers Family; Charles, sister Jane, their father the inventor and of course the fabled race car rebuilt as a flying car.

Amherst Villiers and his son, Charles in the restored Bently

At age 11, under his father’s guidance, Charles began painstakingly restoration of a Villiers blown Bentley, that had been given to him by Flemming. The car upon it’s completion, won the Concourse D’ Elegance at Pebble Beach, California.

Amherst Villiers began began his career in design engineering by souping up Brescia Bugattis, he went on to develop Superchargers for Bentley and Rolls Royce. He designed the Napier-Campbell Bluebird in 1927. He left the group to work on a gyroscope design and to calculate a rocket trajectory to reach Mars, by that time Bluebird had broken the land speed record.

As a professional, portrait painter, he was known to take his artwork very seriously, pursuing it with a single minded determination. He studied under portrait painter Pietro Annigoni in Florence, and later worked on restoration of renaissance masterworks in a monastery in Majorca. As an artist himself, his son Charles studied painting under him in Spain.

Amherst Villiers paintings are very highly regarded; a portrait of Ian Flemming, along with a stunning portrait of legendary race-car driver, Graham Hill, are on loan to the National Portrait Gallery of London.

I’m excited and looking forward to reading this book. It’s available online at the official website www.themanwhosuperchargedbond.com

www.marlathirsk.com Marla’s new website
http://marlathirsk.blogspot.com/ Marla’s blog

I always enjoy it when artists drop by the gallery;
Marla Thirsk let me know she’d revamped her online presence recently.

An updated website and an ongoing blog showcase her most recent and very exciting series of ‘beauties’ styled after 1940s and ’50s era post cards and old photos.

There’s a lot of self exploration in these pieces and a fresh approach to portraiture for Marla. Her experiences with fabrics, sculpture and multimedia have directly impacted her painting. Each painting observes and details patterns and textures, the way memories are built with each detail recorded with individual importance.

I hope to show some of these new series pieces in the gallery, here’s a sneak peek;

Richard Hoedl is by all measure a talented west coast artist, who creates original hand-painted oil paintings inspired by Canadian landscapes. He uses exceedingly fine materials including walnut oil based paint.

Richard is both academically trained and self-taught through years of personal creativity and development. He is currently gallery represented on both coasts and has held solo and group exhibitions across Canada for the last 15 years. His works, highly prized by collectors, are held in personal and corporate collections around the world.

A signature series of impressionistic works were inspired by the Group of Seven and Emily Carr. Utilizing the old Renaissance master’s technique, the canvas is first painted with a warm orange ground (foundation). This brings soothing warmth to the entire completed painting. The images are filled with the feeling of movement and activity, yet are calm and dream-like to view. This work of art will be relaxing and enjoyable for years to come.

Richard Hoedl was born, raised, and educated in northern Alberta. He was drawn to BC by its beauty in 1991. It has been vitally important for Richard to have a constant connection to other artists to enhance and augment his own continuous artistic exploration. Through connecting with artists of all walks of life he has gained invaluable knowledge on a wide variety of art media, styles and techniques, including pastels, charcoal, acrylic, watercolour and oil paints, bronze casting, plaster, clay, wrought iron, graphic design, photography, video, silkscreening, printmaking and even returning to the simplicity of the pencil. The subject as well as the materials in which it was created inspires each piece of Richard’s art.

The importance of learning about art has, of course, translated into the importance of teaching art. Richard has spent considerable time instructing both art and the business of art and/or acting as mentor to numerous artists at all levels of expertise, from beginners to seasoned professionals. He continues to paint and sell his work commercially across Canada. His work is in private and institutional collections across Canada and Europe.

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Education & Training History:

2002-2004 Nova Scotia Craft, Art & Design University
Bachalor of Fine Art
Major in Interdisciplinary Arts
Minor in Art History

1990-2001 Various Artist Workshops and Courses

1990-1992 New York Institute of Photography

1990-1991 Alberta College of Art

1988-1990 Grande Prairie Regional College
Visual and Performing Arts Diploma – Art Major
(Graduating First Overall)

Art Exhibition History:

2005 CIBC Art Centre, Nanaimo Art Rental Gallery, Nanaimo, BC
Featured Artist Show & Artist Talk

2004 and 2005 Artsfest – Originals Only!, Nanaimo, BC
Outdoor Art sale & Exhibition

2004 The Destination Gallery, Parrsboro, NS
“Wayward Winds” – Featured Solo Artist

2004 Winds of Change, Halifax, NS
Featured Solo Artist – Do or Die Art Auction/Exhibition

2004 NSCAD University Graduation Exhibition, Halifax, NS
Selected Works – Group Exhibition

2003 NSCAD Student Art Gallery, Halifax, NS
Selected Works – Ongoing Exhibition

2003 The Destination Gallery, Parrsboro, NS
“When West Meets East” – Featured Solo Artist

2003 Argyle Fine Art Gallery, Halifax, NS
“Alphachalk 03″ – Group Show

2003 Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, NS
“Figuratively” – Group Show

2003 Argyle Fine Art Gallery, Halifax, NS
“ThreeXfour” – Group Show

2003 – 2004 The Kensington Fine Art Gallery, Calgary, AB
Selected works – Ongoing Exhibition

2003 – 2004 Argyle Fine Art Gallery, Halifax, NS
Selected works – Ongoing Exhibition

2002 – 2003 Honey – Gallery & Gifts, Vancouver, BC
“Figurative” – Featured Artist

2002 Ya Ya Gallaria, Halifax, NS
Selected pieces within Group Show

1999-2001 Nanaimo Art Gallery – Art Rental Gallery, Nanaimo, BC
Selected pieces within various Group Shows and Competitions

1999 Bldg. 55, Multi-Discipline Art Show, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC
Selected Pieces

1999 The Old School House, Grand Prix d’Art, Qualicum Beach, BC
Group Exhibition/ Competition

1999 The ARTery, Gallery & Art Centre, Nanaimo, BC
Featured Solo Exhibition

1998 The Old School House, Grand Prix d’Art, Qualicum Beach, BC
Group Exhibition/ Competition

1998 The ARTery, Gallery & Art Centre, Nanaimo, BC
Selected Pieces

1997 Nanaimo Arts Council, Paint In the Mall Competition, Nanaimo, BC
Juror’s Choice Award, (Piece Selected: Through the Forest Series “Camping”)

1997 Prime Arts Festival, Nanaimo, BC
Selected Pieces

1995 The ARTery Artists Studio & Gallery, Nanaimo, BC
Selected Pieces

1993 The Fringe Gallery, Nanaimo, BC
Selected Pieces

1991 The Basement Gallery, Calgary, AB
Solo Exhibition

1991 Valleyview Art Gallery, Valleyview, AB
Solo Exhibition

1990 Prairie Art Gallery, Grande Prairie, AB
Group Exhibition

1988 Prairie Art Gallery, Grande Prairie, AB
Group Exhibition

Awards:

Grande Prairie Regional Scholarship

Euphemia McNaught Material Scholarship

Spectra Scholarship

Province of Alberta Prize

Marla Thirsk was born in Vancouver, B.C. and showed an early apptitude for art by drawing in the cover pages of her father’s university books at the age of 2. She went on from there winning the “Art in the Parks” award at 11 and being displayed in the Vancouver Art Gallery. Although she has never had ‘formal’ art training, she has continuously taught herself from books.
Her Art career really started when she decided to change her life around by believing in herself and following her life-long dream of being a professional artist. Since then she has created award winning posters for the Whale Festival, Edge to Edge Marathon, Ukee Days and just finished one for the Tofino Food and Wine Festival. She has designed logos and costumes and done set design. She was president of the Pacific Rim Arts Society for 6 years running.. She has painted every mural in her town of Ucluelet but 1 and continues to be a major figure in the planning of local Art Events. She has worked in all mediums but oil. Her works have sold and gone worldwide.
She proudly wears the title of “Town’s Artist”.
The original acrylic paintings in the theme of the Tofino Food and Wine poster, are the newest venture for her. They are inspired by old photos of her mother from the 30′s to early 60′s and old French postcards of the 1800′s and early 1900′s . With these new works she feels she has finally found her ‘own’ unique style.
For a more comprehensive look at her work, please visit her website (www.marlathirsk.com) or see her work at Cedar Corner Gallery in Tofino and Mark Penny Gallery in Ucluelet.
Originals can be viewed at Mark Penney Gallery, Ucluelet and at Cedar Corner Gallery in Tofino, as well.
www.marlathirsk.com Marla’s new website
http://marlathirsk.blogspot.com/ Marla’s blog

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Posts tagged Marla Thirsk

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

Huu-Mees Ma-as or Cedar House Gallery is our next door neighbor, and I’ve recently built a wordpress based website for them. www.nativeartcedarhouse.com.

I do recommend this gallery while visiting Whiskey Landing and I highly recommend them online also. artists represented include; Patrick Amos, Mark Mickey, Cliff George, Stan Thompson. They have a great selection of contemporary and traditional Native Art, carvings, jewlry, knitted goods and basketry.

I had been tasked with barkleyadventurestation.com‘s recent update and remodel.

The site had a respectable amount of content an a functioning design. The main issues stemmed from table layout / authoring techniques that have become outdated. ( don’t get me wrong here – it was probably fine when it was first published) It’s an unfortunate fact that most people use google as their search engine – so optimization for google and other search engines, is a must. Google doen’t seem to like these techniques, sometimes missinterpreting the importance of content, or disregards it all together.

So I started out by remaking the existing site (more or less) in clean HTML and CSS.  SEO’d somewhat. I made a sitemap, a robot.txt made redirects for all the missing pages.

The site got a PR 3 (Pangerank of 3) after a couple of weeks of the updates going live. Placement in results had improved somewhat, traffic increased dramatically.

It seemed that a more aggresssive strategy would be required to rank well with the presence of other online competitors. We’d done everything well – but still geting outranked handily. A big advantage was identified with a blog formatted site (regular updated posts, SEO, compelling content, better client interaction) and I soon installed the blog site.

I cleaned up the main site and stripped it down to business functions, the rest was converted to blog format. In that format, the same SEO principals apply; relavant keywords in the titles, descriptions, body. Alt tags for images. WordPress plug ins are great for this.

The blog is showing a PR2 and traffic is stabalizing into a less erratic pattern. We’ve added a listing on google maps and added a test video on youtube. The site is gaining on it’s competitors,  I think it’s the best Salmon Fishing Charter in Ucluelet website yet. I’m working on Skipper Dave to do a podcast project; somewhere between a good flyfishing show and Deadliest Catch; If you think you might want to sponsor it – lemme know.

We support our local art scene, so this year Mark Penney Gallery participated in Pacific Rim Art Society‘s Random Acts of Art week. 1st we chalked up the parking lot at Whiskey Landing with a fish mural, a bit of a nod toward the aquarium, and our local fishermen.
Then at, Elgin’s suggestion, we made a sculpture out of found objects (garbage) at the south end of Florencia Bay. The sculpture and chalk drawings appeared on the P.R.A.S. website and in their online photo album.