For many years now I've had the pleasure of being invited to attend Wickanninish Inn for their annual New Year's Eve event featuring artists in residence at the Wick.  It gives artists a chance to meet visitors to the Wick and chat about their work and demonstrate their chosen medium.  
Make your New Year's Eve special and celebrate with us at The Wick. 
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December 30, 2017 - January 2, 2018: Artists in ActionStart the new year beautifully by visiting us in the Beach building off Chesterman Beach for a sampling of Vancouver Island art! 

Working on every new piece is exciting, but this one was truly unique from the beginning.  Working with interior designer Maria Leupelt of Sunlight Interiors Ltd. I sourced the stone with colour, size and subject matter in mind.  The finished piece "Feeding Salmon Stone" weighs 166 lbs, is 32" Long x 18" High and 7" Wide.  The stone was accented with hand applied interference pigments.  The client and designer were involved with the piece from the initial rough out sketches and seeing the carving come to life over a year.  
I hope you enjoy this clip.

I always have a few pieces on the bench on the go in different stages of completion.  The concentration level required on certain phases, or the condition of my fingers after doing a lot of the fine polishing often dictates when a piece will be finished.  This little pair was waiting for me to finish off after my return from fishing.  So here they are, fresh off the bench...
 "White Seal Pair "  12" L x 4"W x 3"H   Weight :  8.5 lbs  
Carved from a single piece of European Alabaster  $5,500.00 

If you'd like to see them in a higher resolution,just contact me.  They are a beautiful, elegant pair, one awake, one sleeping and the white alabaster has some unique sparkle to the stone. 

Update - January 2015 - This piece is now sold.

It's been a hectic few months getting pieces ready for the Artists for Conservation Show in Vancouver in September and the Sidney Fine Art Show that just finished up on October 19th, 2014 and wow!  It was wonderful to meet so many people at the shows and to have all my work sell at the Sidney Fine Art Show.  The finest compliment to any artist is the work being purchased by someone who falls in love with what your hands have created.  A sell out is every artists dream. :)

So now it's back to the bench...after a short fishing trip.

Artfully yours,
Craig 

We do a little "Tech Cafe" at our Piers Island Library on Monday mornings, so I brought along my Mac and my newest carving!  Techies were there with an iPad-those things are incredible...so here was the latest!  The colour in this Indian soapstone is a light jade green, with striations that remind me of wood.  I have a few more larger pieces of this stone I'll be working on over the winter. This piece (if not purchased before...) will be at the Sidney Fine Art Show - October 17-19 at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney, BC.  As a Master category artist, I'm allowed to show a few non-juried pieces outside of the show venue at the Winspear.
Enjoy.  

I have to say that I really do not enjoy time spent at the computer typing, so forgive me for using visuals in sharing my newest work with you.  You get to see things from a 360 degree angle and I only have to talk! These pieces were submitted for jurying to the Sidney Fine Art Show 2014 - so you may see them at the Winspear Centre in October. I'm waiting for the results envelope! 
I hope you enjoy seeing my latest work this way.
Artfully,
Craig Benson