Vicky Marshall | Artist statement

Vicky Marshall Nest V

Nest V, 2010, charcoal on paper

For most of my career and even when I lived in the city, the natural world has played an increasing import role in my work.

A few years ago I moved with my partner to a rural part of BC where we built our home.

One day, while on a walk, I found a nest blown from its anchorage by a recent storm.

My first thoughts were formal ones about its colour and shape, but back in my studio I noticed all the erosion spots in what had looked like such a solid little structure.

This discovery led me to much pondering on the way homes are constructed; the strength yet friability of the materials we use, the need for security and the inevitability of impermanence.