Here is a really great photo of Pedal to the Meddle. This was composed and captured by Tiffany from Toronto.

Our next book title is Flight of the Hummingbird and it should be on the shelves April/May 08.
More information can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Hummingbird-Environmental-Michael-Yahgulanaas/dp/1553653726.

This is part of the laetst painting from the new Haida Manwha studio hidden away on a pacific island somewhere in the Salish Sea.
It is a commissioned piece and aprt of the new series Word Works

I am just today arrived back from the geographic center of north america. This spot at least in 1928 was determined to be in Manitoba, Canada. It is called the “pool of the black star” and is located in the floor immediately below the rotunda of the Manitoba Legislative buildings in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

I was interested to stand and observe its apparent Masonic temple configurations, feeling perhaps some strange connection to my long deceased grandfather who I now know was a mason from the grand lodge number one in Glasgow, Scotland. So early saturday morning my daughter, Tsuaay and I walked across the Assiniboine River and up through the northern doors that open up to the two horned bronzed beasts that guard the entrance to this curious architecture. As we stood at the foot of the three tiers of 19 steps that rose up towards the rotunda a cascade of glorious voices greeted us. The sense was almost other worldly. We rushed up the steps past the two bronzed bisons and right into a practice of the EastMan Youth Choir. A circle of sound flowed from fully engaged youthful slapping hands weaving bodies around an enthused and blissed choir master all standing above the black stone tile that is the pool of the black star.

Although temple symbolism and even formal music theory are far beyond my experience sound in this rotunda is celestial. The architects employed an impressive array of skills to create this space and in apparent celebration of some other theory they even opened the building on a day noted for some celestial alignment. In any event after the choir left Tsuaay and I lay down in the middle of the pool of the Black star and looking far up at the rotunda dome we together sang a Haida song reserved for the most significant events.
Then we drew pictures.

ps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoba_Legislative_Building

The latest series called Word Works begins with a piece on Memory. Here are two sketches for a four panel work called Remember.

The first in the new Word Works series is “remember”.

It will become a four panel piece of Haida manga. Commissioned by a literary magazine, remember will be followed by a commission from the Bill Reid Foundation. Word Works uses basic haida icons to re construct letters to function as skeletons. In keeping with traditional design concepts the color red is used to flesh out the skeleton, filling the ventricles with additional design elements. This colour allows an additional level of narrative without detracting from the basic word.

Remember should be finished in early November.

The summer of busyness.

The current exhibit at the Museum of Anthropology is up until the end of december. In august I packed up the studio and moved to a larger space. The construction crew is almost finished and I hope to continue working on a number of current commissions. The single biggest project RED remains on my mind and almost daily innovations and notions are worked into what will become the single largest series of Haida manga paintings to date.