Scyphozoa Sebastes
80 cm
The centre of this piece is a buoy that was found on Balaclava Island up near the northern tip of Vancouver Island. It was likely used in the prawn or crab fishery to mark where traps had been placed on the ocean floor. The top float is carved from cedar and was once used in the salmon or herring fishery to hold a net at the surface. The bottom float was likely used in a salmon gillnet fishery and is made from cork which also is a material made from a tree. These floats were commonly used on the coast before plastic became a cheap and more durable option, they are rare to find as they eventually degrade, unlike plastic. The line it hangs from is Dykorn groundline made in Norway and was a popular choice used in the groundfish fisheries on the BC coast. It was donated to me by a fisherman and I have tied it in a flat laynard knot and lashed the ends with waxed sailing twine.
On this float I have painted a golden bull kelp forest on a sunny day. The buoyant carbon monoxide filled bulbs, hold the fronds of this brown algae near the surface so it can photosynthesize. The long blades stream behind the bulb, rippling in the current. On sunny days, swimming through a kelp forest can feel like you are under a ceiling of golden stained-glass which undulates and sparkles with the moving water. These kelp forests provide important habitat for many juvenile marine species on our Pacific Coast and are an essential part of a healthy marine ecosystem. I have painted several species of jellyfish, yelloweye, quillback and black rockfish as well as plumose, proliferating, brookding and green surf anemones, a spot prawn and ochre and vermillion sea stars.