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A work in progress
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has artist-in-residence who’s carving a ship’s figurehead
By HOLLY FRAUGHTON

Melissa Ryan is literally chipping away at her work; more specifically, a 250-pound piece of solid pine.

The petite woman stands in the boat house behind the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, working away with her mallet and razor-sharp chisel, transforming the chunk of wood into a mermaid-shaped ship’s figurehead.

Ryan, 32, who grew up in Halifax, studied sculpture and ceramics at Concordia University. She is also the first-ever artist in residence at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

Jasmine Marshall, spokeswoman for the museum, said the project was an idea of Ryan’s.

"Melissa approached us with a proposal for a project, and given that she wanted to carve a figurehead, we kind of jumped at it, because first of all, it was a way of engaging the waterfront. She’s a local artist, so it’s a nice way of getting involved in our community. But most importantly, this is something that actually fits in with the interpretive mandate of the museum. It’s a part of stories of the sea, of marine heritage."

Marshall said at first it was a bit of a surprise when Ryan told the museum about her plan, because there has never been an artist on staff before.

"I’ve wanted to carve a figurehead for a ship for six years now," said Ryan, "I never approached the museum because I didn’t have the vision."

But that all changed earlier this summer when Ryan had a dream about the mermaid, woke up and called the museum.

She began work on the figurehead in early July and plans to finish up in mid-September.

Marshall said she has heard only positive feedback from the public on the project, but many people are surprised to see a diminutive woman hacking away at the hefty piece of wood.

"She’s shorter, and she’s sitting there hacking away with a big mallet and stuff, carving, so the image of it is just so interesting right off the bat," Marshall said. "The best is when she was first starting and she had the big chainsaw out to cut off the major pieces. That was pretty funny."

So far, the figurehead is still in its primary stages, with only its lower half carved into a distinct shape.

But by the time Ryan is finished, she says the mermaid will be about the size of a child and polished with wax to a glass-like finish. She will also have invested 700 hours in the project.

"It’s a slow process," said Ryan, "It’s like peeling an onion, except without the tears."

And it isn’t always fun.

Ryan recalled one day when the temperature was about 28 C, and she was working outside wearing Kevlar pants. That day, she said, she lost six pounds in sweat alone.

But Ryan said she enjoys seeing families come by the check on her progress, and doesn’t even mind answering the questions that are continually lobbed at her from passersby.

To make her project a bit more special and to keep in touch with family members in Quebec, Ryan decided to set up a blog to track her progress and post photos.

As the artist in residence, Ryan isn’t paid to work on the waterfront. Rather, she says the experience will help her five-year journey to change from the status of emerging artist to artist.

"It’s all part of building credibility as an artist, saying that you can invest in the fact that I will complete a show in your gallery," said Ryan.

While she has become a fixture on the waterfront this summer because of her mermaid project, Ryan is also a familiar face at the Farmer’s Market. She sets up a booth every weekend to sell her paintings and prints, ranging from her cartoonish character, Bombgurl, to vivid cityscapes.

Every day she sets up to work on the sculpture on the waterfront, Ryan lugs out bins of her canvases and framed prints and sets them up on the table, selling them throughout the day.

Art is now Ryan’s sole source of income. She went from working a fairly stable retail job to trying to support herself as an artist. And while the adjustment hasn’t been easy, Ryan is happy with her new lifestyle.

"I’m very relaxed and calm living a life of 100 per cent pure risk."

Ryan’s mermaid will be unveiled at the Harbourfront Festival on Sept. 15 and will then be auctioned off.

( hfraughton@herald.ca)