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Sending them Away – Ties That Bind Us- An Exhibition. ~ by Kaija Savinainen

The act of painting is an intensely private process. It begins with immersing myself into a location. I walk, I run, I bike, hike, paddle, ski and even in my younger days I was frequently on horse back to scout out locations that inspire. I am always watching, looking, observing. I listen to nature, I must see her with my own eyes, I must touch what I am about to explore with paint and canvas. Often it takes multiple visits to gain a deeper understanding of a given location. I must absorb enough of her spirit, her energy to make the work heartfelt, and honest. I regard this process as the search for the inner essence of my subject. All of it part of my creative process.  

For the last ten years I have had the wonderful opportunity to travel north to Yellowknife, NWT. And what an honour it has been. The north has been very inspiring; the colors of the north are strong and rich. The light is brilliant and vivid. Even on overcast, rainy days she is magic in my eyes. She is rugged, barren in places, with some incredible rivers, and many immense lakes. I have only experienced small parts of Great Slave Lake and I hold her in the highest regard. When paddling you can feel the life force throbbing beneath you. Her landscape is powerful, featuring her many moods. This year I met bison for the first-time face to face. The bison are breath- taking in their physique, in their stature. Do not mess with them.

And then there are the northern ravens. I love them. They are tricksters, bold, canny, smart, and clever. They delight in tormenting local dogs, laughing and mocking them – especially when the dogs are tethered. Ravens walk assertively close to their canine compadres, stealing anything within their reach. Ravens have clans who reside in specific areas or territories. When out running I meet and greet them. I have observed youngsters doing areal acrobatics while parents watch over. One funny moment I observed - a mother raven feeding her chick some freshly picked dandelion flowers. Quite the touching sight it was. I did not venture to close as I did not want to disturb the extended raven family performing daily parenting duties.

Summers are short, a bit on the buggy side but so full of life. The day is long; 10 pm, 11 pm the sun shines brightly. The sun at summer solstice time barely touches the horizon before rising again. It is one long summer’s day. Night is banished for these weeks of midsummer. Fall, arriving weeks earlier than southern Canada is beautiful in her cloak of yellows, oranges, and red ground covers. And finally, the bugs have vanished. Fall is a brief interlude before winter comes around, with snows in September and certainly by October.

Winter is cold, so very cold and for many it is long with its cloak of shorter days and longer nights. And yet during darkened winter night comes the magic of the Northern Lights. They fill the sky in brilliant colors of greens, golds, and yellows and even on occasion violets can be seen. They move, they dance, they shimmer and glow. Just as suddenly as they appear in the night sky they disappear. This is one phenomenon that should be experienced in your lifetime. One evening during a bike ride out on the ice road on Great Slave – yes, we went out on bicycles -we witnessed northern lights fill the sky with a full moon rising on the opposite side. I was speechless! I think the temp that night was somewhere in the minus 25C. Wonderful experience.

From my travels to Yellowknife a body of paintings has grown.

Now for the first time I am returning with some completed works. This exhibition is a joint venture with my daughter. I am thrilled, honored to be doing this with Lara. Will people see the link we share even if only the familial is the obvious one? A quiet, poised, creative individual she is with much compassion and empathy. Lara, now an established wildlife biologist working for the Territorial Government has a vision, an understanding she seeks to implement. Lara has the science background, plus many years of experience of working in the north in her field of study. Now the challenge for her is to put forth, and implement a long-term plan that works, is respectful of the Indigenous people’s rights, their lands, the wildlife, all the while keeping in balance with contemporary industry and its demands. How do you keep everything in balance, keep the land safe with an eye to the future needs? A mighty task it is. To remain grounded, she too finds solace in the land, in nature as she explores the north by canoe, by skiing, hiking and by living in the north. The north has become part of her DNA.

Shipping is expensive and I have had to really think twice of what will travel north. And will some of them sell, will some return? I wonder? It took several days to pack and wrap the work. I have a quiet conversation with the piece as I wrap each individual work up carefully in layers of glassine, bubble wrap, thick plastic, foam core and finally a box or a crate. I wish them well to wherever their destiny lies. I tell them to speak proudly and strongly. I bid them adieu. Every piece comes from my heart, something I gave life to. Each piece has meaning. I am happy someone else has found a connection, a relationship formed that hopefully will stand the test of time.

As I write I do not yet know if they paintings have arrived. According to the schedule they should arrive within a day or two. To say that I’m nervous is an understatement. Excitement and anxiety are very real when the eve of the exhibition is close. I can do this, I think - well yes, I must! It is in my DNA after all to bring an understanding of the natural world before it disappears into the mists of time.

My father and grandfather, Ukki Pekka would say “No niin, riittää puhetta, lähdemme nyt."

Kaija

Allan Stanley