Salmon Water Waves

Description

Four black and red salmon in a rectangle, with negative circles and crescents evocative of water waves. Every negative design element in this design symbolizes a salmon’s harmonious life in its Pacific ecosystem. Salmon live with an instinctive vision harmonious with Pacific waters. The C-form eyes of the salmon have crescents flowing away from the eye, a real fluid flowing feeling, a real rhythmic rippling evocative of water drops in calm water. The stretched crescent mouth and crescent gill visualize the way a salmon breathes.-lessLIE This limited edition silkscreen print titled “Salmon Water Waves” by lessLIE was hand produced by the screen printing process. It is the only limited edition printing of this design. The artist has inspected and signed each copy in the edition. All trial copies of this edition have been destroyed and the printing stencils obliterated.Leslie Robert Sam was born in Duncan, BC in 1973. He adopted the artist name lessLIE in reference to the deception and betrayal that First Nations peoples suffered as a result of colonization.When lessLIE was six months old, he and his mother moved to Seattle to be closer to other family members, in particular his grandfather, Gary Rice. lessLIE credits his grandfather with instilling in him, and encouraging the passion to be an artist. He believes that having spent those formative years in a large urban centre has influenced the direction of his art, as it relates to issues of environment, dispossession and race.lessLIE holds a B.A. in First Nations Studies. While working on his degree, in 1995, he began studying Coast Salish art, in particular, the works of contemporary artist Susan Point. He was also encouraged and inspired by his cousin Joseph Wilson. Other influences include Manuel Salazar, Maynard Johnny Jr., Shaun Peterson, and Luke Marston.lessLIE’s works can be found in collections around the world and form part of the collection of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) and the Westf?lisches Museum f?r Naturkunde in M?nster, Germany.