Phil Morrison | Sculpture
"Sky Canoe" was created as a memorial for a friend, Steve Switzman, who passed away in the summer of 2011. Steve and I had taken many adventures in this canoe. The last time I paddled the canoe was with his son as we headed out in a flotilla of 8 canoes to spread his ashes on a lake west of Prince George.
Steve was an avid outdoors man and lover of all aspects of the arts. He would've smiled to know that I had carved a poem into the canoe as a tribute to him.
Know peace my friend.
I transferred the poem onto the canoe by using a stencil. Then I carved steadily for hours with my dremel. Any slip up would've been irreparable and heartily cursed!
We also collaborated with a local videographer, Stephen St. Laurent, and local musician, Jeremy Stewart, to create a video poem. Using an underwater camera, Stephen captured some powerful and profound footage. Jeremy composed a dark and compelling soundscape for the video. Here's a link to the video.
As a way to honor my friend, I drove around for the next year with "Sky Canoe" loaded on top of my truck. It was always fun to pull up to an intersection and see people's reaction when they saw the "Sky Canoe". This initiated many conversations. People were genuinely interested in hearing the story behind the memorial.
For now the "Sky Canoe" is on display in the Two River's Art Gallery gift shop. The gallery is located downtown P.G. B.C. https://www.tworiversgallery.ca/ Please stop in to check it out.