Humorously titled Jarred, this curious mixed-media sculpture by Michael Massie depicts an owl encased in a sterling silver vase. A trained metalsmith, Massie explains how he conceived of this eccentric subject matter, a concept rooted in technique and materials, “When I made this piece I had just completed a vase from copper. I wanted to keep advancing my silversmithing technique, so I had decided to make another raised piece from silver and etched stylized feathers on its body. I had an old cue ball from home and figured I’d try it with this piece.”

The owl’s head, carved from the cue ball, emerges from the elegant vase with a quirky expression and a crest of silver feathers reminiscent of the style of Kenojuak Ashevak’s decorative birds. But rather than trying to escape from the vase, it appears that the owl and vase have merged and are now one and the same: the delicately etched feathers on the vase are an extension of the owl’s body, as are the wings carved from antler. In this sense the piece depicts a new kind of transformation. Massie’s eccentric sculptures of animal characters are never complete without their exquisite inlay eyes — this time made from an appealing combination of ivory, mahogany, and cocobolo wood.

References: For more examples of Massie’s signature style of eye inlay, see Feheley Fine Arts, Michael Massie: Stories in Silver & Stone, (Toronto: Feheley Fine Arts, 2022), p. 9, 12-18. For another charming example of the artist’s metal birds, see the cover of Inuit Art Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 3-4, Fall/Winter 2004, and accompanying article, “Michael Massie: Playing in His Own World” by Sonia Gunderson. For publications on the artist see Spirit Wrestler Gallery, 50 @ 50: Celebration of Metal and Stone: Michael Massie, (Vancouver, 2012). See also the exhibition catalogue by Gloria Hickey, Silver and Stone: The Art of Michael Massie, (St. John’s, NF: The Rooms, 2006). For a review of his work, see ”Silver and Stone: The Art of Michael Massie, Inuit Art Quarterly, Vol 21, No. 4, Winter 2006, pp. 18-29. For a published interview with the artist and Matthew Fox, see “Michael Massie of Labrador”, Inuit Art Quarterly, Vol 11, No. 1, Spring 1996, pp. 16-24.