31. 8. 87
up the inside
Click here to see a larger
(33k) version of the sketch
When I had stood on the beach at Rennel Sound I looked out across the ocean to the
vanishing point. I had gone as far as I could go, but it wasn't far enough.
The morning after arriving at Hotsprings I felt desolate. I lay in my tent and
wished I could just seep down through the soft forest floor, down into the ocean,
and out into everything. But I got up and went out to sketch.
I found a large clearing in the midst of three gigantic trees. Over the ages, the
roots of two of the trees had grown together and now they were joined. I felt I
had found the heart of the island. There was power in the air and as I sketched
those two trees my spirit surged up. Late that night I lay naked and alone
in the hotsprings. A cool, light mist fell on me as I looked out to the small
islands of the Sound. Finally I felt at peace. I knew my journey was over.
Two days later when we left Hotsprings there was a storm blowing. Even with the
stabilizers out the Skeena Raider was pitching wildly in the waves. But the storm
felt as nothing to the power I had found on the island. In the face of the gale
I felt vibrantly alive.
I went out onto the stern, found a good spot, tied a rope around my waist, and
sketched the stormclouds and the waters. At times the waves splashed over the
sides and onto my book. The damp page caused a natural resist to the wax pencils,
giving the drawing a washed and windswept feeling.
When Mr. Allan steered the Raider into the calmer waters of Darwin Sound, I went
to port for this sketch. Afterwards, I sketched Gordy and his fishing partner
Brian at the helm, and made a present of it to him.
It was after one a.m. when we docked at Queen Charlotte City. After a Chinese
dinner at Brian's house I spent the night on a bunk in the cabin of the Raider.
In the morning I asked Mr. Allan what I owed him for fuel. He said "Don't you
have a ferry to catch?"
Go Back -- Go Home
-- Move On