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I am a child of the Canadian Shield, with memories steeped in images of rocks and pine trees along the waters edge. This is 'home' to me.
On canoe trips, Dad would tell me to look down the lake for the furthest point of land that I could see. That was our goal. Eyes focused on that distant point, I would lose myself in the trance of
paddling. That point stayed far off for a long time. But each stroke brought us closer until the goal was attained. After a brief pause, Dad would say "Look down the lake…..see that point way up
ahead? That's where we're going."
The stuff of life…. and canoe trips.
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The Great Blue Heron is so often seen from the vantage point of a canoe. It is a favourite bird of many who travel slowly along rivers
edges. Someone says "shhhhh….a heron."
Paddles stop. Bodies quiet. Eyes intent.
In momentum, the canoe inevitably gets too close and this elegant creature stretches neck and
wings and swoops away around the bend.
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"Firebird"
Commissioned by a canoeist from Toronto, this design was a concept that appeared in daydreams and sketches.
For the most part, I prefer wood burning however, this flamboyant design demanded colour!
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A close-knit group in Manitoba requested a special 'goodbye and thank you" paddle for a fellow staff member who was moving on to
the next phase in her career.
A pine tree graced one side and their logo, the other.
Inspirational poetry reflected the positive and thoughtful character of the paddle recipient.
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This paddle was made for my friend Ken in Winnipeg who loves blue flags (wild iris).
Ken spent 7 years building his beautiful
cedar and canvas canoe!
I was delighted to paint an iris on the deck to match the paddle…or does the paddle match the deck?
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This design is a memory of beautiful Eustache Lake in Algonquin Park.
You can only get there by a very long portage.
I
visited this lovely lake in winter. There are soaring pink granite cliffs with pines trees and cedars clinging to the precipices, leaning out into space.
A beautiful place - worth the effort to
visit.
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This paddle was a retirement gift for Charles, a biologist who worked for the Canadian Wildlife Service for many years. His colleagues
wanted to represent his long and prolific career.
The design was to show species he had studied as well as his contributions to numerous projects, committees and publications. Along with a very
tight deadline, they supplied me with pictures, logo's, manuscripts, books, websites and a postage stamp - all fruits of his labour.
This was a lot of fun to work on and Charles was delighted!
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My friend Edwidge works for Archives of Canada. She made great use of her workplace to research ideas for her own special paddle!
Many books and discussions later - we developed this concept based on a design from Indonesia.
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This design was requested by Rick in Nevada, who loves paddling and art and animals.
The beavertail paddle is made of
sasparilla.
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Kendra L. loves celtic designs.
I designed a never-ending knot and put a compass rose in the middle. The result is a very
elegant paddle. The design shows up beautifully on the cherry wood.
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Marianne's father commissioned this paddle in honour of her graduation. In reviewing my reference books she found that pictographs and
petroglyphs from the southwest 'spoke' to her. Marianne did some initial sketches and the design evolved to represent her upcoming canoe journey across Canada. The design winds around the shaft and blade
to provide visual surprises as the paddle is turned. The spirals are said to mean 'migration'. The other 'glyphs' are animals, tracks, personal qualities, weather, phases of the moon, camp fire circles,
etc - reminiscent of events on a canoe voyage.
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Canadian River Heritage Conference, Fredericton, N.B. 2002
Commissioned in 2001 for the prestigious Bill Mason Award, this paddle
was presented posthumously to Pierre Elliot Trudeau, former Prime Minister of Canada.
Scenes from the fabled Nahanni River flow along the paddle shaft and blade. The Nahanni, a designated World
Heritage Site, and Canadian Heritage River, was a favourite of both Mason and Trudeau.
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Doug B of Ottawa brought me a 20 foot kayak deck to embellish with creatures from the sea. This was fun - a pyrographer's dream canvas!
Narwhales, whales, walrus, seals, belugas and porpoises swim from bow to stern. Thanks to my biologist friends for the loan of reference books on these wonderful animals. Doug has recently launched his
beautiful craft.
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