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Dimensions: 89 x 53 cm
This piece started from the blue-green float which immediately reminded me of the earth looking from space. I matched it with the hose, which I found on Wouwer Island in the Broken Group Islands. I found it amongst a bunch of boat debris from a poor guy's demise a few years earlier. He was a hermit who lived aboard his boat in the Broken Group every winter. He got caught in a storm in 1997. His boat was destroyed and he managed to get ashore on Wouwer but perished from hypothermia before anyone could find him. Fellow warden, Bob Hansen found his body curled up off a game trail on the final day of the search. I matched up the piece of melted rope with the hose as soon as I saw it togteher with the float. The melted blue rope is fairly common on Long Beach. I believe the rope heats up on the winch as the crab fishermen haul in the traps.
I have been a passionate advocate of the earth’s fresh water for many years. This picture gave me a different way of expressing that. The piece of wading pool is one of a few that I've found. There must have come from a container lost off a container ship because the various pieces I’ve found have all been from different styles of wading pools. The fishing lures are commonly used to catch Chinook salmon off Vancouver Island and frequently wash ashore. I can only wonder why they are so frequently lost – hopefully a victory for the fish.
I have found a number of pieces of the bluish/purple-coloured laminate over time, but have no idea what they were used for. They were one of the first items I found on multiple occassions over a period of years. I found 2 pieces over a 2 year period, on 2 different beaches. I was so glad that I had kept that first piece. Having two of something opens up more artistic opportunities.