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Long before written language existed, humans told stories with
symbols. A drawing of a deer commemorated a successful hunt. A
spiral meant water And a handprint was the earliest way of saying,
I was here.
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Today, thousands of years after the first rock carvings and rock
paintings were made, Vancouver artist Mollie Massie uses ancient
imagery to tell her clients life histories in steel. One recent
commission for a fireplace-screen depicts a couple, their three
children and things the family loves about Vancouver, including
the goats at the zoo and whales. Theres a spiral for water because
it rains a lot in Vancouver, Massie says, but there are also
suns because theyd had a wonderful, sunny life. A Virginia-born
MBA graduate with a background in art history, Massie was running
a home-renovation business in Denver, Colo., when a chance encounter
redirected her career. Through friends she met sculptor Fred Myers,
who used ancient imagery in his work. Fascinated by the variety
and vitality of these symbols, she apprenticed with him for two
years. After Myerss death, Massie moved to Vancouver with her
husband and their two young sons. Her firms name, Myers Massie
Studio, honours her mentors memory. Massie begins each project by drawing a design on paper. After redrawing it onto a sheet of weathering steel, which is suitable for indoor or outdoor use, she cuts out the shapes with an oxyacetylene torch. Her objects range from gates and staircase railings to drawer pulls and chandeliers. I say to my clients, The skys the limit. If you can think of it, I can probably create it for you; however, Massies fireplace screens are arguably her most magical creations - with firelight flickering behind them, these figures from an unimaginably distant time seem to come alive and dance. |
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