Sea Otter, Salmon, And Raven
Artist
Qwalsius -Shaun Peterson
MediumRed cedar
Dimensionsa: 33 x 34 x 1 in. (83.8 x 86.4 x 2.5 cm)
b: 40 x 48 x 1 in. (101.6 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm)
c: 35 x 50 x 1 in. (88.9 x 127 x 2.5 cm)
ClassificationsCarving
Credit LineSeattle Parks and Recreation 1% for Art funds
Artist Statement: Working to represent the characters that had been chosen by the Seattle Aquarium previously, had presented a challenge to me. The main difficulty was to represent two characters that rarely make presence in Puget Sound native art, Raven and Otter. For insight I spoke with a great aunt of mine, Catherine Hatch or “Grandma Molly.” She said that Raven isn’t always respected here because he is a trickster. However, in the cases of some stories he is envied for his slyness to deceive. And though the Raven may be tricky at times, he has compassion and a spirit that is powerful. From this I decided to show spirit within the Raven’s wing. To represent Otter, I had arrived at the conclusion that he is full of energy. His movements have great continuity and flow. He is radiant and playful; and to best represent his character he is just that. His body swirled into a circular form as though ready to emerge to surface for air. The last, but by far not the least important character was the Salmon. It is a common fact among many that Salmon plays a large part in Puget Sound life. There are so many interpretations of the Salmon that it was time-consuming to distinguish myself from other artists. Complicated and overelaborate designs flood the eyes of the art world. Therefore, to make Salmon stand out in my rendition, I made him easy to identify as possible. The body is arched to display the tension and struggle the salmon endures to survive.
Location: Seattle Aquarium, Pier 59, 1483 Alaskan Way
Location: Seattle Aquarium, Pier 59, 1483 Alaskan Way
