SPIRIT BEAR - Artist Proof #9/10

My life has been a love affair with British Columbia's beautiful coast. If it weren't for low tide, I would have been born on the ocean. The tide was out, and the boats were high and dry on the beach in Greenville B.C. in 1946, so I was born in Greenville on the Nass River instead of a boat on the way to Prince Rupert.

I have seen many changes on the coast including the depletion of our salmon stocks over the years. I now live on the banks of the Skeena River near Hazelton in northern B.C. and support many organizations that fight to defend the land and sea. I sit on the board of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition. I support the Dogwood Initiative so one can see that my heart is with the land and sea, and I will fight to protect what we have left. When Mark Hobson called me and asked for my involvement with this group, I did not hesitate. I traveled with my son, William, to Hartley Bay and then King Pacific Lodge on the north end of the Great Bear Rainforest. I was drawn to this area because of my history and ancestors who lived here thousands of years ago. A visit to the Cetacea Lab at Whale Point has changed me forever. I was given another view of the area, the sea, and those who live in the sea. I learned of the incredible life of whales and how they depend totally on echolocation or sonar to communicate and realized that they could not live and feed in the waters of Whale Channel with the daily presence of supertankers. I will return to the Great Bear area and Whale Point to study the whales and visit the beautiful Spirit Bear in September this year.

I was immediately inspired to create two pieces, and one more to come, titled Whale Point. I will continue to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I will use my voice to teach those who do not know of this priceless area of our coastline. It is an honor for me to be involved at a deep emotional level in protecting my home and native land.