Hejira: The Latest Journey / by CHRISTINA HARKNESS

I am terrible at keeping this blog updated but I actually have a reason to update it as I have received the Northern Art Council’s Emerging Artist of 2020 award.

I have been secretly harboring the idea of creating a huge piece and having it hung in the Pacific Visions art exhibition at the Aquarium of the Pacific. I wrote for the grant with this project in mind and now I have the financial means to actually make a piece impressive enough.

I received notice of the grant on a Friday and spent the next two days furiously finishing my Deception Pass Canvas. As soon as I dropped it off at the framers, I started to plot and plan.

My next canvas is six feet by three feet and will be called "Hejira". It will be an extreme close up of a humpback whale. The hope is to have this one canvas continue onto a second canvas stationed below which will be primarily a coral reef. The viewer will look directly into the eye of the humpback as it swims past. The eye will be kind but also challenging. What are you going to do to to fix the many issues threatening my world?

I have been fascinated with the word Hejira for decades. It comes from the Muslim tradition and means a journey or a migration, usually from a place of danger to a place of safety.

I hope to have it done in a year, which is a tall order. Stay tuned!