EveGriffinArtWork

Guardian (Great Blue Heron)

Alaska cedar, oil paint

19 x 5 x 1-1/2 inches

2010

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Guardian is carved in Alaska cedar, aka: yellow cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) which is a wood of the Juniper family native to the central and southern northwest coast of North America. Alaska cedar is a prized carving wood, being neither a hard nor a soft wood. It is very resistant to decay. The board from which Guardian is carved was plain sawn so that the carved relief reveals its flat grain.

 

The design of the piece is heavily influenced by Haida art, having formline designs in low relief in the background in a contemporary style.  The central figure is of a Great Blue Heron, carved in bas-relief.

 

The imagery is meant to reflect meanings attributed to the Great Blue Heron in Haida lore: that the heron serves as guardian of human settlements. The heron stands still and silent on the shore in front of villages, looking out to sea, for hours on end. However, when a threat appears, the heron issues a loud and raucous call sufficient to awaken sleeping villagers and alert them to intrusion.

 

In this design, the heron guards against a raiding party in a canoe approaching from seaward, and a grizzly bear trying to sneak into the village.  Underwater, the design shows some of the heron’s cohabitants and prey: an octopus, salmon eggs, a crab, and a herring swimming among kelp fronds.