Angela Marston, Grandmother, 2011, serigraph, ed. 1/37; Heart of the Forest, 2014, yellow cedar, cedar bark rope, acrylic paint, abalone. Gift of the Salish Weave Collection of George and Christiane Smyth, 2021. Photo: Rachel Topham Photography.
Angela Marston
Angela Marston’s work combines customs of spiritual healing with physical healing, joins the traditions of women’s and men’s arts, and represents a system of knowledge passed from mother to daughter, from hand to hand, for generations. Marston has been studying and creating Salish art for over 25 years, blending printmaking with weaving and incorporating traditional Coast Salish weaving techniques into her work. The serigraph Grandmother reflects the system of knowledge passed from mother to daughter to granddaughter in Coast Salish culture and stresses Marston’s connection to nature. Marston’s knowledge of the traditional process of collecting cedar roots and of pulling and cleaning the bark, learned as a teenager, is evident in Heart of the Forest, and used in all of her dance and healing rattles.
Angela Marston (Statu Stsuhwum) is from the Stz'uminus First Nation in central Vancouver Island, and like her two younger brothers, Luke and John Marston, she studied art with her parents, carvers Jane and David Marston. Marston began her art studies as a cedar bark weaver then embarked on a series of rattles which received critical acclaim. Marston has exhibited in several prestigious galleries and has accepted commissions for individual designs for a wide variety of innovative projects. Her work is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa).