Calder Schweitzer
"St. Lawrence Sunset"

I created St. Lawrence Sunset bearing in mind the gorgeous views that I get to see nearly every day here in Gananoque. As a professional naturalist from nine to five, I am constantly in awe of the landscape views we get here on the St. Lawrence and my piece highlights my favourite parts of them: the towering pines shaded by a setting sun, the flicker of the last light of day on the water's surface, and the emergence of the stars as the sky darkens to night. Created on a piece of reclaimed white ash firewood - a species disappearing across our landscape - the wooden canvas of this piece has bent and cracked since it was made. A common process, this has allowed the tree to make its own mark on the piece, a last gasp of a disappearing species with one thing to say: 'I am still here'.