MacIsaac’s Pond in Inverness has been posted for several years now, against the harvesting of shellfish. The shell debris from hungry gulls has since increased dramatically in volume and in size. Razor clams 10 inches long. None yet appear so neon as this oyster pair but who knows what they’re living on and how it will manifest?
Depicting a memory from my childhood of the bear pit at a wildlife park. It was a very deep concrete hole in the ground topped by a high iron fence. There was a pool for water and I think the pit was cleaned out with hoses now and then.
I would watch for a long time as the bears paced the concrete floor. I’m sure what I felt then was wonder, what I feel now is guilty and helpless. I hope the bear was angry.
Hibernation
In Ojibwe tradition, Bear is the nurturer, she knows the sources of food and medicines in the bush.
Bear rescued the first human children from starvation by feeding them her own flesh when winter killed off the plants they had learned to feed on.
I bring Bear into the studio with me when winter comes. I ask her spirit for inspiration and fortitude as I make my way toward the images I need to bring into my stories. I trust Bear to direct my vision and to nurture my impulse for creativity.
Artist's Statement
I was born and raised in Northern Ontario. My father was born on the Fort William Reserve. His father was of mixed Ojibwe parents and his mother Acadian. My mother is a war bride from England and all of my family’s stories speak of the rich experience of mixed cultures and the raw newness of the North American frontier.
The story is the primary intent of the images you will find here. Figures, actions and places, whether observed or imagined, are brought together to convey the nature of experience, feeling or vision. Beginning with line, forms grow and incline toward recognizable figures. Figures touch, or don’t touch creating the impression of relationship. If I can keep the lines and forms strong, and the relationships clear, a story will be told and will have an effect on the viewer even if I made it all up.
Va McCoy
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