I'm excited to announce a great new show of local First Nations artist in Smithers BC that I am a part of. I have a total of 17 pieces in this show: a moon mask, portrait mask, raven rattle, drum rattle, carved spoon, paintings, prints, and stained glass.
I was happy to share the stories of the pieces with interested viewers at the opening night, the other artists and I had a great time!
I believe that this is the first group show focusing on Northwest Coast art at the Smithers Art Gallery, and I hope that this is just the beginning. In particular I am excited to be part of an art show so close to home. Please check out the art show, "Reclamation of Our Spirit: the continuation of Northwest Coast ARt in the 21st Century"
Happy New Year Everyone!
Arlene

What a busy time of year this is! I have been painting and carving, creating jewellery pieces for some very special commission orders, and even teaching kids how to make drumsticks embellished with art. I also am very busy with minor hockey as I have three boys in hockey, so please have patience with my extremely slow updates. Some exciting things to look forward to is a couple of art shows in Prince George starting in the beginning of March, it's a group show with the current students and graduates of the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast fine arts. I will have four paintings there so I hope you stop by and check it out.

As a new year begins we think up resolutions to keep, what needs change, and what goals to attemp this year. While I think up a few resolutions to keep, I can't help but to think of everything that is right in my world. I will be sure to appreciate my family and friends, a resolution that is worthwhile would be to let them know how special they are to me throughout the year, I will take the time to have a chat with a long-time friend, say hello to distant relatives, and hug my children everyday.
This year I will appreciate life, my life and my family.

So here's wishing you and everybody else a very happy new year.

Greetings,

It has been a busy, exciting spring. I attended the Freda Diesing Student Art show and sale, visited with friends and made a few new ones. I also attended the opening of the longhouse at the Terrace NWCC Campus and totem pole raising, what a powerful event!

As we move into summer I have a few carving projects planned with red cedar and some birch, they have been building in my mind for a while now and are clamouring to get out! I have also just finished carving a red cedar door for Roy Vickers, which was presented at the Kispiox Valley Rodeo to Joy and Gene Allen. As usual I had a great time at the rodeo, I haven't missed one yet in my lifetime! Times have changed and I am going with my children now, though still at "Ness Central", the camp site we have had ever since I can remember!

I have completed the gold frog ring set with a beautiful square cut emerald, and am now nearing completion on the two commissioned sterling silver bracelets. They are looking great! I am also getting ready to produce silk screen prints of my hummingbird design due to manyrequests and will post it on this site when it is available for sale.

I'm enjoying the heat, and when it rains, I'll enjoy that too. There's no sense in complaining about it being too hot, I know that soon enough there will be cold weather to complain about, so I have decided to accept and enjoy our weather!

Every day of the week I have been going to the K'san carving shed and working on two masks. K'san being the historical village/museum site near Hazelton, BC. I have the opportunity to work with Phil Janze, who is the lead carver in this mask project. There are four other carvers (me being one of them) who have been selected to create two Gitxsan masks for a future exhibit, and will be part of the permanent collection for K'san.

One of the highlights of working at K'san again is seeing the visitors and tourists who are generally pleased and happy to be seeing carvers on site! So a big hello to everyone who has stopped in, we love the positive energy you brought with you.

I am really happy with the portrait mask that I have chosen to do. With the chief's (and family's) permission I have used the frog woman's (Haawx) story as inspiration for this woman's portrait. I have taken the liberty of assuming that the woman is a very beautiful, striking woman, (hence the kidnapping of her), and also applied full, luscious lips for the purpose of carving a frog design on her bottom lip. The idea I will be implementing is that this will be a foreshadowing of the events that will soon take over this woman's life.

I hope to be posting photos of this project within a week or two.