-Story by Sean McIntyre

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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It鈥檚 no understatement when says he鈥檚 been living in the age of the eagle. Last year, announced that John鈥檚 design would adorn the side of one of the company鈥檚 new Salish-class vessels. And now, a larger-than-life eagle motif transits daily through the southern Gulf Islands.

Closer to home in Ladysmith, visitors to John鈥檚 studio are greeted by an eagle welcome statue carved from an imposing 14-foot-long piece of old-growth Vancouver Island red cedar. The carving is part of a multi-year project John and students have been working on to give the local high school a refreshing new look that acknowledges the region鈥檚 roots.

Both projects are a significant coup, not merely for John鈥檚 exemplary career as an artist, but also for the important societal shift to incorporate and recognize the significance of Vancouver Island鈥檚 rich and varied Indigenous cultures.

鈥淭o see it in the school system is really inspiring because that鈥檚 making the educators and the people that are part of these organizations aware that these are issues that we have to look at, talk about and teach our children,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat real history that hasn鈥檛 been taught, but there鈥檚 more awareness, and the artwork is one of the things that helps people open up conversations about cultural practices and what was here before first contact.鈥�

That important conversation about cultural identity and reconciliation has been part of John鈥檚 career as an artist. At eight years of age, he was in the habit of watching and learning from his elders. He gleaned the techniques of his craft from his parents, Jane and David Marston 鈥� both accomplished carvers 鈥� as well as from Cowichan Tribes鈥� master carver .

John soaked in the rich talent that surrounded him. As he emulated the techniques of his masters, he saw Indigenous carving take an entirely new shape around him. , for example, placed Vancouver Island鈥檚 carving heritage at the forefront of the public eye. The Indigenous traditions of Vancouver Island were experiencing a resurgence that empowered local First Nations and promoted a deeper understanding of the region鈥檚 past.

As John gained experience, his confidence grew. By the time he was a young man, John was carving alongside artists from across British Columbia at Thunderbird Park next to Victoria鈥檚 , where he spent four years, the last of which as an artist in residence.

It was soon after that formative stage that John鈥檚 work took on a much more personal tone, he says. Though firmly based in the teachings and techniques of his elders, the young carver gave his imagination free reign. Eventually, he began to experiment, leaving the old ways and branching off into new areas. Exploring. Experimenting. And learning. The result, he says, is a carving style that straddles old-world legends and modern-day spiritual expression.

鈥淚 could keep doing one-layered work until I grow old, or I can push my own abilities and carry on forward,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always good to understand that there鈥檚 a modern-day movement of artists. We are artists of today who are part of old communities.鈥�

John鈥檚 creative potential is well represented by his current workspace. For the past three years, he鈥檚 been based in a 1930s-era shipping warehouse that also houses the Ladysmith Waterfront Gallery. The additional space means more of John鈥檚 works in progress can see the light of day.

During a visit to the studio earlier this spring, I found John putting the final touches on a sun mask, hewn from a piece of second-growth red cedar. Cradling the mask at his workbench while shaping it with the surgical precision of one of his finishing blades, John explains how it isn鈥檛 unusual for a piece like this to take up to four or five years to complete.

Inspiration can be fleeting. John routinely switches between pieces depending on his perspective.

鈥淭o have a consistent body of work in progress, you need to have things progressing all the time,鈥� he says. 鈥淓very piece that I do is very well thought out and well planned out. It鈥檚 never just quickly done. Even if it鈥檚 totally different than what I normally do, I always give 100 per cent and my best ability.鈥�

Whereas many of John鈥檚 projects were previously stashed away out of sight due to space constraints, his cavernous new space means he can have several projects on the go all at once, freely shifting between pieces depending on timelines. Alongside the sun mask and the giant eagle welcome pole, John has ceremonial cedar boxes, impressive wall hangings, abstract canvas watercolours, weavings and at least two traditional harbour-style canoes.

鈥淚 always wanted to carve canoes, so I decided to start with these,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hese would have once been seen everywhere on the south coast.鈥�

In between the works in progress are the raw materials that will fuel countless projects to come. Antlers, shells, cedar bark, kelp and raw lumber await their transformation. John collects the materials from his traditional territory in the hills and shoreline that surround Ladysmith. He can spend days out in the wild in a search that brings him closer to the natural world.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a big part of who I am as an artist. Taking the time out to collect the material and having that connection to the natural world is really important to me,鈥� he says. 鈥淚magination and inspiration for the work has to evolve and come from somewhere. Our culture teaches us that so much of who we are is based on the natural world. That鈥檚 where I find my inspiration.鈥�

The works of John Marston will be exhibited at the in September.