Coastal Sea Wolf and Crows
55cm
I found this buoy and rope on Balaclava Island in Nov 2021 washed up in the intertidal zone. It was likely used in a gillnet fishery and the rope likely came from the nearby open net Salmon Aquaculture site.
This is a very special piece inspired by the Coastal Sea Wolves who live on Balaclava and the surrounding Islands. I spend a lot of time in this area and am lucky to share space with these Coastal Wolves. This individual, nicknamed diamond for the diamond shaped patch of fur on her back, is commonly seen around God’s Pocket on Hurst Island. We see her foraging in the intertidal zone for crabs and fish and we often her her howling with her pack in the evenings. These wolves are very special getting the majority of their diet from the Ocean, marine mammals, fish, bivalves and crustaceans, they are smaller then their inland cousins and often swim between islands to expand their hunting area. Often these wolves are followed by the resident crows who share the scraps of their meal. I have painted two crows on this piece with Diamond, purple ochre seastars, green surf anemones, bladderwrack seaweed, barnacles and mussels all species common in the intertidal zone.