LISSA ALEXANDER
reporter@pqbnews.com
When Dan Gray heard about the project “Art for an Oil Free Coast” it was too late. The project already had 50 renowned artists ready to create art in remote central and north B.C. coastal locations, places that would inevitably be affected if Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project was approved. But he thought he’d send an email to Mark Hobson, artist and project coordinator, just in case.
“When he got home there was a stack of emails and mine was on top and someone just dropped out of project,” Gray explained, “So I think I was required [to take part].”
“The fate’s intervened perhaps,” his wide Sandy offered.
After flying to Bella Bella, the artists were put into three groups, Gray on a 70-foot sailboat used as a research vessel for work in the Great Bear Rainforest, belonging to the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and captained by Brian Falconer. They shared the boat with four other artists, a documentary film maker, a communications specialist and a crew of four. Gray was a bit apprehensive about spending five nights out on a ship at first, and wondered whether he might be better suited to spending the time in a lodge, like some of the other artists had been assigned. But he would have never imagined just how much the following five days would affect him.
Sailing up the rugged coastline, the group docked and explored from time to time. It was stopped at one of these pristine, solitary places that the group had a close encounter with a grizzly bear. Gray was astounded. The fierce grizzly bear that people have come to fear was docile and contented. He acknowledged the group and continued on his way.
At another location the group was watching a couple of black bears when a wolf sauntered across the landscape. And Gray will never forget when they became up close and personal with a humpback whale.
“He came up right in front of the boat, the blow hole looked to be a foot across and it was so close,” he said.
One of the artists in Gray’s group, Ian Reid, is an aboriginal Heiltsuk singer, dancer and carver. Reid got the group permission to visit an unnamed, Heiltsuk tribe-owned island where he lead them to a sacred place and sang them a song. Gray said he’s never experienced anything quite like it and it touched the whole group.
“You could have knocked us over with a feather after that,” he said. “The atmosphere, the feeling, being together with the people we were with… it was very spiritual.”
After leaving the island Gray said he was full, emotionally and spiritually, but he mentioned he had always wanted to find an old, glass, Japanese fishing float. Not long after, Reid was clearing a beach of some Japanese tsunami debris when he approached Gray with a “big honking smile on his face” and Gray said he knew what was coming. Reid gave him the float to take home.
Gray said he painted as much as he could throughout the trip and came back with a number of incredible landscape scenes.
Photos of the art created during the voyage will be put into coffee table book and become a traveling art show to raise awareness about this incredible and diverse landscape and all its inhabitants, and just what is at risk if tankers were permitted to ship tar sands oil through the narrow channels.
Gray said the cause is now even closer to his soul and he fully supports the First Nations people who want to put a stop to the proposed project and protect their and the everyone else’s marvelous land.
Gray and Reid will be collaborating for the opening of the art show, where Reid will “wake the drum.” The date of the opening is yet to be announced.
As for the trip, Gray said he’ll never forget it, and feels grateful that he was given the opportunity to do it.
“I’m still thinking about it, I can steel feel it,” he said. “The friendship, the camaraderie, the mission, the journey and to be allowed to paint as an artists, I was there to paint!” he said exuberantly. “To be an artist to be there is tremendous, the starts just aligned.”
Dan Gray is having an open studio at his home in Errington this Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. where artwork from his trip will be displayed, as well as other recent works. He lives at 1300 Grafton Ave. For more information call 250-248-5565 or visit www.dfgray.com. For more on Art for an Oil Free Coast visit www.raincoast.org/oil-free-coast/.
