The Balance of Opposites

I went up as far as you could go by road on the south west coast of Vancouver Island to Port Renfrew where when I was in my 20’s I planned to hike the West Coast Trail.  I’ve always been a bit of a tree hugger but I found one that would need a helllava big hug. What an amazing stoke this stump would make. What is amazing about this part of the world is the struggle to balance the opposites- nature and industry. The trip from Chosin Pottery to Port Renfrew which is 73 kiilometers or less than 50 miles took over 2 hours winding along a road of trees and rocks. No Dairy Queen, no McD’s, no KFC, no Burger King and no gas stations. Fill up or walk with the bears and cougars. Here you can experience old growth rain forests and the surf of the Pacific Ocean. Home to eagles, bears, deer, whales, seals, otters and yummy fish of all sorts. Other than some ugly patches of strip logging this part of the world remains wild and untamed.

I discovered an uprooted tree that would make a decent man cave should I not be able to make the payments on The Cactus Lounge. I also discovered the perfect wood kiln made of drift wood which would once and for all answer the question what is a wood kiln? It is a kiln made of wood what do you think it is?

I haven’t taken the time to really just breathe in for a long time. There is so much that given time to digest can influence your art work. This is a very different geography than small town Ontario that I love. But it doesn't have to be big and majestic. It can be small and is often right in front of your nose. It may be a flower, a stone, a brick or the pattern of several hanging brooms. It doesn’t need to be big and powerful to reference your work.  This trip could very well influence the way I walk. The way I talk will remain the same.