Ever inventive, the Sunshine Coast sculptor has taken a different approach and direction with this year’s entry. Always cutting edge, the Powell River artist has incorporated wood into this year’s work along with her always-creative metal imaginings.

“It’s very much a spontaneous work, done deliberately to see what I came up with,” says Wall. “I used a chainsaw for the cedar base and then added to it from a store of cool aluminum leftovers. Ordinarily I’m a planner and this piece took me completely out of my comfort zone.”

“Flying by the seat of my pants” as she puts it works just fine. The end result is an eclectic, fun, beautifully styled piece that blends her chosen elements seamlessly while embracing the steampunk ethos.

As her nameplate explains, steampunk combines elements of sci-fi, history and mechanics with a modern shout-out to vintage fashion and elements of yesteryear. Wall’s funky, handsome owl epitomizes the style.

Perched serenely on a curling base with a single leaf under its talons, the cedar styling of the owl is festooned with aluminum pieces that create the desired look.
He/she wears vestments and a saucepan top hat, goggles resting upon it.

The beak and wings are aluminum, creating lovely contrast with the polished wood. Various metal flourishes on the body and non-matching aluminum touches encircling the eyes add to the ultra-cool look.

In addition to her fine aluminum pieces (Lunar Flyer, Rock Dragon, Pouncing Fox) she’s shown here over the past few years, she is adept in other mediums too: steel sculpture, acrylic painting and computer graphics.

The published author and illustrator of a children’s book, Elephant Shoes, Wall is a graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design – majoring in Visual Communications with a minor in painting. She completed the Welding C program with the Vancouver Island University in 2013 and hasn’t looked back since.

www.heatherwallart.com