The Gloomstalker

The collaboration of Moy Sutherland Jr, 1st nations Master Carver, and Jake James, an English Canadian Blacksmith, brings together materials in a way that has not been done before. We combine the narrative traditions of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation with the dynamic possibilities of forged iron.

“The Gloomstalker” is a modern representation of an ancient figure from the mythology of the Nu-Chah-Nulth people of Vancouver Island. It explores the warrior facet of this animal. Guardian of the coastal fog, a creature to be respected and feared by a people dependent on the sea for their survival.

In the traditions of the peoples of the Pacific North West, creatures can inhabit three realms – the human, the animal and the spirit. In this sculpture, the Heron is seen in mid-transformation between his animal and human forms, looming and predatory as he dismounts his watch post, readying himself for an imminent attack from the wolves who seek to take his fog….

The heron figure is one of this coast’s important guardians. The keeper of fog, a figure to be kept pleased lest he unleash that enfolding gloom upon your seafarers.

Cedar and Iron are the materials that formed the backbones of two great civilizations, worked into every aspect of the lives of the respective inhabitants of these two worlds. They were materials not only of utilitarian necessity, but of the expression of art, beauty and culture.

Their meeting on the North West Coast of the newly named America’s begun a cycle of destruction repeated all across the Pacific Ocean.
Their meeting here is an attempt to reconcile that past.