sea anemones, two ways

on my recent wanderings on a nearby beach, i have been surprised at the way that many sea anemones nestle in sand, rather than clinging to exposed rocks as i am used to. i've since realized that of course there are many types of anemones around here, and each has their preferred habitat. this led to these new stitched pieces, continuing in my shore fragments series. on left is a moonglow anemone (similar to this one), on a sandy spot with a few clamshells and other shore debris. on the right are a pair of giant green anemones tucked under a barnacled rock.



each cloth measures roughly 8"x8". while on my last fragments piece i added a braided cord for hanging, i am thinking these would look nice framed with a wide white mat, and i think i will mount them on archival stock so that they are ready for framing. a shadow box frame would work well so that the glass will not touch the layers of fabric. i will let you know when they are available in the shop



with pretty much all my work originating in the wilds of the west coast, the creatures that inhabit this area are very important to me. there are areas of this coast that are natural jewels, where the way of life has been the same for thousands of years. recently, an oil company from the alberta tarsands is lobbying to build a pipeline over the rocky mountains and across northern bc to the coast, crossing many sensitive watersheds. once this dirty crude reaches the coast, it will be loaded on tanker ships to head to markets overseas. there are no oil tankers on this coast right now. annie wrote about this recently, as she lives much closer to the affected area than i do. however, if there is an oil spill on this coast, we will all be affected. and with our winding waterways with many islands and tidal challenges, even the oil company admits it is a matter of when, not if that spill will come. if you get a chance, i highly recommend the 44 minute documentary spoil. it is a breathtakingly beautiful look at the great bear rainforest, and shows what would be lost if oil tankers are allowed on the coast. i try not to preach very often, but this is a huge issue that could change our coast irreparably. i spent the whole film on the verge of welling up, both in awe at the scenery of the coast, and how it could all disappear.

okay, enough out of me. i hope you are having a good (long, if you are in canada) weekend. i am headed out later this morning with my friend who is going to show me how to harvest some cedar bark for weaving. i have been wanting to try this traditional first nations activity for a while - i will share more if i am successful in my weaving!