THE WORK was born out of an idea I had when I was twenty-three and my father took me offshore fishing turbot.
I’d been living in St. John’s for a number of years where I quickly realized how little people know about the commercial fishery and the work that fishermen undertake when they leave land. This is part of a divide that separates urban Newfoundland from rural Newfoundland. When I went fishing for the first time, I knew I wanted to show this industry and labour to people somehow.
Fast forward seven years and I finally did. In 2022, I went offshore with a crew of turbot fishermen for twelve days. I photographed them while at work and when I got back to land, I started painting. I showed parts of THE WORK at the 2023 Artist Project in Toronto and I exhibited the full body of work at Wild Cove Come Home Year 2023.
It remains very important to me that the people who my work is for and about are able to see and interact with my paintings. I was very proud to include this work in my community’s first Come Home Year celebration and I’m always looking for ways to bring my work to rural parts of the province.
THE WORK is publicly funded by the Newfoundland & Labrador Arts Council