BEAVER AND THE MINK
BEAVER AND THE MINK II

Beaver and the Mink (Part one of two), 
Susan A. Point, 1985 Beaver and the Mink II (Part two of two), 
Susan A. Point, 1988
Beaver and the Mink (Part one of two)    09/85
Susan A. Point    Edition: 14/50    Silkscreen
© Copyright 1985 Susan A. Point. All Rights Reserved.
Beaver and the Mink II (Part two of two)
02/88    Susan A. Point    Photolithograph
© Copyright 1988 Susan A. Point. All Rights Reserved.

These two images are based on the Salish legend of the Beaver and the Mink. The tale explains how the beaver and the mink caused the Salmon people to live in the rivers rather than in their longhouses on the shore. In the first print, the beaver (on the right) and the mink (on the left) mirror each other within the bodies of two spiraling salmon. The spinning motion of the two fish is accentuated both by their swirling forms and the trigons that appear behind their fins and tails. Beaver and the Mink II expands upon the design of the first with the inclusion of two figures paddling a canoe beneath the swirling salmon. The two figures are beaver and mink, paddling to shore to see the Salmon people. The color pallet of the print has changed as well. Susan has changed from the reds, browns, and tans of her earlier prints to a pallet that includes blues, pinks, and greens. The vibrancy created between the blues and the pinks creates a visual texture within the image, adding another layer of complexity to Susan's print. Again, Susan brings together experimentation and tradition in her prints, making a contemporary artistic statement that relies on traditional Coast Salish design principles and legends for its inspiration.
(Beaver and the Mink II was originally commissioned by the Public Service Commission of Canada in Toronto for a calendar design. Subsequently, copies were run off as photolithograph prints. Posters were also made of the image.)


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