Postcards from the left coast

Last March I was in British Columbia, skiing at Whistler and a day in Vancouver.  It happened that the manager of the St. Clair noticed me sketching and a few months later asked permission to use the sketch as a postcard.  About the same time I was contacted by Dave, one of the owners of the Southside Diner in Whistler with a similar request.

And here they are.

Apres Ski in Creekside

Apparently an essential part of the complete Whistler therapeutic experience is to drink a couple of beers after skiing. We stopped at Dusty's, where Guitar Doug and Grateful Greg (really - note their signatures on the sketch) were throwing out a wall of sound, to what appeared to be a regular, youthful crowd.  It worked!  My knees felt much better.

Cedar Woman No. 4

 

I took a day off skiing while in Whistler this week to visit the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre. There were two master cavers working on totem poles there, which was exactly what I was hoping for in my visit.   It was a pleasure to watch their deft progress over just a couple of hours carving.  I sketched and chatted with both of them and was complimented to be invited to their "carvers union" break for coffee. They are both wonderful, warm ordinary guys to talk to who are making extraordinary art which is founded on their cultural roots but speaks to our modern world.

Aaron Nelson-Moody's ancestral name is Splashing Eagle, but he introduced himself as Splash.  The pole he is completing is the fourth in a series called "Cedar Women".  It is an 18 foot long yellow cedar log topped by a Thunderbird with a Lightning Snake spiraling down to its base.  Splash has been a positive influence to many young people through his teaching of  art and carving in schools as well as the legacy of his inspired carving and jewelry.  His web site is splashingeagle.ca