THE WATCHMAN

It was a beautiful Summer morning and I had come to Comox to find an image. My desire was to pay homage to the land and its people.

I was intent on finding a scene of the Comox Valley and did not want to create another work illustrating the Comox Glacier. I explored the area and went out on the water to glimpse the old Comox village site and found no inspiration. I continued on to the grounds of the Filberg Lodge to photograph a totem that had recently been raised there. I heard the call of an eagle and stopped to pay attention. I looked toward the ocean and saw the eagle perched atop a piling. The tide was low and I moved closer for a photograph. As I neared the eagle I feared it may take flight and thought instantly it would not, for it had called me. My desire not to use the glacier vanished amid the excitement of finding the magic of Comox and heeding the call of the eagle.

The presence of the eagle totem illustrates the Kwakiulth style of design and sculpture. The Kwakiulth are a part of my ancestry as well as that of the Comox people.

I am once again the recipient of a gift from my helper, Eagle. Eagle, the master of fishing. Eagle, the patient one. Eagle...The Watchman.