Artist David Jacob Harder will be standing tall as his sculpture, Standing Split: My Place out of My Place, will be displayed at the opening of the Two Rivers Gallery's new Sculpture Court Show on Thursday.
"When you stand inside and look up, it will feel as if you've stepped into the forest," said Camille MacDonald, spokesperson for Two Rivers Gallery.
And yes, a passion for trees, the bush, wood and the forest continues to inspire Harder and it all began when he was a child.
"It all started for me when I was just a child drawing and making things. I was home schooled in a forest and drawing was always important to my family. I think it's a tragedy today when something like that fades away, but for me, I never stopped doing it."
Harder stands beside a large group of logs as assembly of his latest piece begins.
"This is all from on big fir tree," Harder said.
The piece will be a new installation in the gallery's new Sculpture Court Show.
It will be displayed for all to enter and enjoy starting Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.
"A circle of logs standing on their ends, pointed upwards towards the sky recalls the forests that surround the city," said Meghan Hunter-Gaulthier, acting assistant curator.
"At the centre of the artwork is a wooden bench that can be accessed through an opening in the circle.
"From the vantage point of the bench, the work appears to shield one from the surrounding urban environment. As much as Standing Split may function as a space for solitude, it also represents an investigation into the relationship between the forest and the city."
And for Harder, the piece recognizes how deeply connected forest and city may be.
"This piece is about living within, surrounded by forests despite having found ways to manipulate and build from it," Harder said.
"Standing Split is my place out of my place. That's very much it. It's a modern place, but inside there is calmness and ease. I hope others can find the same, an embrace around you."
The nine-foot-high sculpture will be displayed tomorrow night for the first time at Two Rivers Gallery by the 34-year-old who will also be giving an artist talk.
"This piece gave me a foundation of operating things by myself. And it also reminds me of the livelihood of the woods and the forest and pulling in new concepts. This is why I make these things."
Now, living in Wells, Harder grew up in Baker Creek near the Nazko Reserve.
"My grandfather used to own one the largest television shops in San Francisco, but then he decided to leave all behind and move the family to Canada," Harder said.
"This is why we are here. They decided to move back to the land from having the biggest TV shop to having no running water," Harder said.
Harder's father also spent much of his career in the logging industry.
"Our livelihood is wood," Harder said.
"It's serendipitous that I am working with wood but in a conceptual sense."
For Harder and for many others, being in a big city can often feel out of place and cause feelings of anxiety.
"That's why this is my place out of my place. Up here at the gallery, you can still be removed from everything else. It can be your own little space with not a lot of people. Anyone can just come up and enjoy," Harder said.
Harder has, however, grown to love Prince George and the community at Two Rivers Gallery where he was artist-in-residence in January.
"It's fantastic to be back. I have always been embraced by staff here and the community of Prince George is so open to the arts. It's a breath of fresh air," Harder said.
For more information, visit: www.tworiversgallery.ca.
