Beaver, in white, on Ontario map Print

Meet the Beaver, a large semi-aquatic rodent widely held as a symbol of Canada, and considered a keystone species ecologically. The European relative of the North American Beaver was hunted nearly to extinction, from Pliny's time on it was sough after for various reasons. In Canada the economic demand for this pelt drove Europeans westward and into contact with Canada's indigenous people. This Beaver is a digital image created from an original analogue source, the silhouette of the beaver is cut out of a piece of paper which is laid over a recycled map background. The paper map has become obsolete in these days of digital navigation, and motorcyclists generally don't struggle with unweildy paper maps anymore, so I've found other uses for old maps I previously used to plan motorcycle rides and tours. The cutout of the animal, either in negative or positive space, in black or white, is then combined with map backgrounds on the flatbed of my scanner, creating ephemeral art that only exists digitally, although it shows traces of it's analogue origins in various ways; where the pieces of paper show space between them, or where the cut edges of the paper are uneven. This series of animal silhouettes began as an exploration of the forms of animals I see in my day to day life on the west coast, or in my childhood growing up in Ontario. As the series develops further, I'm exploring animals that have been important in Canada's development as a nation, either economically or historically or ecologically. The fur trade was partly responsible for Canada being settled by Europeans, seeking fur (amongst other natural resources) and also how the Beaver (and the Bison) came to be hunted very close to extinction. As a person of European ancestry born in Canada I acknowledge my settler privilege, and I undertake to show respect for the beautiful land I'm grateful to inhabit now.