The Creative Jar

The fish! The Fish! They are back to back at The Creative Jar, showing amongst some very beautiful treasures. Thanks Jodi!

If you are really organized and already have your wheels turning about holiday gifts, keep these in mind for that dedicated angler in your life, they are eco-friendly, and come framed and unframed, and you can also get them in range of sizes, on paper or stretched on canvas!

Low Tide, Deep Water

Chilean Dream, was chosen by LaTouchables, and featured in her Etsy treasury:

Low Tide, Deep Water

These selections are thick with intrigue, and are sure to speak to the mermaid/merman in all of us!

Brown Trout Fans rejoice!

Click here to view Brown Trout swimming amongst friends in LoveLoveDOUBLELove's Treasury... Fishing for compliments!

thanks LoveLoveDoubleLove! We love love double love you too!

Original Paintings

We finally got a real spring day! I got caught up imagining what it might be like to live in a place where 15 degrees is as cold as it ever gets... I cleaned up the yard, fired up the BBQ, and enjoyed the embrace of the long forgotten warm air.

There is nothing like a walk through the neighborhood on such an evening, and a peak in the windows of the people I live amongst... I love to see how people live. I don't care to see what they are up to, I just want to know what's hanging on there walls.

Those funny figurines on crowded book shelves, refridgerators papered with family photo's, childrens artwork, and tomorrows grocery list. You get the classic velvet painting of the matador, and collectable plates hung with care behind the dinning room table, you even see the odd Pirate flag/window covering... What I like the most about all of this is knowing that behind each one of those treasures is a story, they are the things that remind us of what's important, of who we are, where we've come from, and the things we dream about... Then sometimes, you get a glimpse of something that really intrigues you, a piece above a mantle that gets your wheels turning, gets you dreaming of that place in your own house that has a story to tell. That wall that's waiting for something to hold.

If you have a wall with a story to tell I might have just the punctuation you have been looking for....The creative spirit bound to paint, and laid carefully with intention, to speak a truth unique you...

By popular demand.... I am listing a few originals!!

The three pieces you have seen in the last few posts, are available in their original unadulterated form... and there is one other too!

Spring Blossoms
12 x 9

Rainbow Fry
16 x 8

Segue
12 x 16

Chilean Dream
24 x 12

Chilean Dream

Chilean Dream
Oil on Canvas
by Melissa March

This and other originals are on sale today for $100 dollars off!

Come to the Portobello West Market at the Rocky Mountaineer Station between 12 & 6 and get a taste of whats happening in art and fashion in Vancouver.

This is your last chance to get deals on paintings and prints, so come down and check it out!

Look for prints of Chilean Dream in my Esty Shop and on my website in the next few days!

Yellowfin Tuna

Yellowfin Tuna
Oil on Canvas
by Melissa March


The Western and Central Pacific ocean is the Worlds largest Tuna fishery, and it is in danger of being over fished to the point of collapse.

Take heart, there are measures being taken to conserve and manage this delicate ecosystem.

Coming into effect in 2009, is a plan to reduce fishing mortality by 30% (over 3 years) on Bigeye Tuna, and to reduce the risk of overfishing yellowfin tuna, by restricting the use of purse seine fishing and the use of FADs in these sensitive areas.

This year there will be fewer days to fish the high seas, in an attempt to reduce the number of tuna caught. Sensitive areas will be closed to purse seine fishing for up to three months, and the use of FADs will be prohibited from July to September.

The use of FADs results in the mortality (in great numbers) of juvenile tuna, sea turtles, sharks, and dolphins, to name a few. It is the technique of using a float to attract sea life, creating an opportunity to net them in large numbers. The unwanted species are then discarded.

You can help the Yellowfin and Bigeye Tuna, by reading the labels on the fish you buy. To ensure that it is caught in good conscience, look to see that it was pole or troll caught.

Rainbow Fry

Rainbow Fry
Oil on Canvas
by Melissa March


Rainbow Trout

As a species, the Rainbow Trout is yellow-listed, which means that it is not at risk in British Columbia. However, many populations have suffered declines and even extinction as a result of habitat damage or over fishing. Maintenance of natural genetic diversity and the many life-history forms is a conservation concern.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• It is important to obey angling regulations and habitat protection bylaws, guidelines and regulations, since they were designed to protect the fish and their habitat. You should also Observe, Record and Report violations of the regulations by phoning 1-800-663-9453.

• Rainbow Trout are highly vulnerable to human activities, which alter stream flow, increase sedimentation, reduce cover or raise water temperature. If you own property bordering a stream or lake, try to protect or plant trees and shrubs beside the water to provide food and shade, and prevent the banks from eroding.

• Form a group of water stewards and volunteer to monitor local water quality or restore natural streamside vegetation.

• Be aware that what you dump into your septic tank or roadside storm drain may find its way into streams or lakes. Help keep water quality high by using detergents and soaps that are chlorine and phosphate free, and do not dump harsh chemicals, such as bleach, paint thinner or antifreeze, into drains.

For more info see:
Ministry of Fisheries
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca

Cutthroat Trout

Cutthroat Trout. Beautiful. They are what I most often catch. I was surprised to find that they can look quite different from one another, depending on what river they live in, even if they are from the same strain.

Here is a collage of a custom piece, done from photos. The pictures were taken in a magical place, that will remain undisclosed...

Cutthroat Trout
Oil on Canvas by Melissa March

Cutthroat Trout

The coastal cutthroat is a blue-listed species, which means the species is considered vulnerable in British Columbia. Several populations, particularly those on the East Coast of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, are in serious decline, and many runs are already extinct. Their dependence on small streams for
spawning and rearing makes them especially vulnerable, as small streams are easily altered or destroyed and their protection is often overlooked in planning residential, agricultural, and industrial developments or during forest harvesting

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• Since cutthroat trout are very susceptible to over-fishing, using a barbless hook and practicing catch
and release are recommended.

• It is important to obey angling regulations and habitat protection bylaws, guidelines and regulations, since they were designed to protect the fish and their habitat. You should also Observe, Record and Report violations of the regulations by phoning 1-800-663-9453.
• Cutthroat trout are highly vulnerable to urban development and agricultural practices that remove the vegetation that creates streamside shade, captures excess nutrients from fertilizers and manure, and prevents erosion.
• Form a group of water stewards and volunteer to monitor local water quality and other habitat changes in lakes or streams.
• Be aware that what you dump into your septic tank or roadside storm drain may find its way into streams or lakes. Help keep water quality high by using detergents and soaps which are phosphate and chlorine free, and do not dump harsh chemicals, such as bleach, paint thinners or antifreeze, into drains.

For more info see:
Ministry of Fisheries
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca

Brown Trout

Brown Trout
Oil on Canvas by Melissa March

The play of light, the hidden life, the grace, and the fascinating inclusions of colour, are just a few things that make fish one of my favorite subjects. Their beauty is really something to behold.

There are only a few places on Vancouver Island that these creatures dwell, and I have never caught one.... which might be why I like to paint them so much. Painting them allows me to inspect them closely, and marvel at their arresting magnificence. It's a way to stroke their glimmering flesh, and dive deep into the vivid, speckled patterns, laid with precision across each scale.

I am in awe of them.

Brown Trout are a species that were introduced to Canadian waters around the turn of the century.

They are incompatible with native species such as Cutthroat Trout and Gila Trout. The protection of native species requires segregation of them from Brown Trout.

WHAT ARE THE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES?

Alien species are the second greatest threat to biodiversity, after habitat loss and degradation. When alien species move in, native species' populations often decrease in parts of their natural range. In the worst-case scenario, the native species become extinct. The number of plant and animal species may remain the same in an area, as common or widespread species replace unique, local species, but the integrity and vitality of natural ecosystems is damaged.

Alien species affect native species through: competition for limited resources including space, light, moisture, food, breeding sites and pollinators; predation.

For more info see:
Ministry of Fisheries
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca

the work of dreaming

Since my inauguration into the world of fly fishing, I have come to understand, there is a common dream... a goal shared by young and old alike. It seems there is a mecca for anglers.

Chile. Home of the elusive Brown. (among others)

It's not at all difficult to understand the appeal. It has all the components a great adventure should, an alluring destination, a quest of the heart, the promise of triumph, and just a hint of prestige... I will confess I hope to share in this dream, and make the journey someday (hopefully in the company of my favorite angler, He's been busy dreaming big and showing me the way).

For me, the journey is a way off, so in the mean time I've been busy painting the picture, and engineering a clear vision. I like to think of dreaming as important work in it's own right... I like to call it manifesting.

Here's a glimpse of a journey I've been on, over the past few weeks, as I build my foundation for the pilgrimage that awaits.

Stay tuned for a look at the finished Piece!