The Agate Eagle

Above is a digital image I rendered for my latest project: an eagle made up of agate stones. I collected the agates with help from my brother and his wife from local areas, giving me the wonderful opportunity to use re-purposed materials. The idea of an eagle came to mind to be symbolic of my metis heritage for the upcoming “Deep Roots (Hidden Spaces)” exhibition at Chazou Gallery. I was able to capture the original photo of the eagle a few weeks ago on a recent trip to the Kamloops Wildlife Park.

The process of creating the eagle was more experimental in comparison to the recent Einstein’s Marbles. Taking the skills learned from assembling Einstein, I was able to use a pouring method of spreading the epoxy over the carefully arranged agates lying on waxed parchment paper. After several coats of epoxy, and many hours of drying later, I was able to peel the eagle from the parchment paper. It was then cut for better shape, sanded and prepared to be hung by wire so as to be backlit for optimal view. The finished piece is now hanging for display in the Chazou Gallery.