Dreams of a Dreamer: IceBear

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Ice Bear, "Black Elk," in progress

carving from tree stump

Solo exhibition at the MacMillan Arts Centre in Parksville May 30 to June 30; exclusive preview for IceBear collectors June 2; and a public open house and brief artist's talk will be held on the afternoon of Saturday June 3.

The centrepiece of the exhibition will be Black Elk, a large, sculpted head carved out of the base of a monkey puzzle tree.

This tree was part of the home of the McCracken family of Nanaimo through two generations. When it came to the end of its life, the current family member living there, Art McCracken, could not bear to part with it, so he had it professionally cut down and sectioned, and stored the large pieces safely for years waiting to find just the right use for them.

Two years ago, after much thought, he made a decision, took a deep breath and asked his friend IceBear to consider turning the largest piece into a work of art. After a couple of months of contemplation, including time spent hollowing out the wood to lighten it enough to make it manageable.

This has been a special project for Art, who faced major surgery soon after work began. As a man who had been very physically active, to be suddenly faced with the severe constraints of his new condition was devastating. While he had always loved artwork, and has a house full of it, he had never been part of the creative process. The artist encouraged him to participate in the creative effort, teaching and encouraging him starting with the simplest ‘gruntwork’ and moving forward to making decisions about lines. It has been a life changing and inspirational period of personal growth and accomplishment, for the owner and and a endeavour of great personal satisfaction for the artist.

Black Elk is still a work in progress.