Low Tide
On a remote spit of sand and mud in Alaska, where the mouth of the Kvichak River meets Bristol Bay, lies an area that has been camped on by indigenous fishermen for several thousand years. In 1910 the Koggiung Cannery was built from the finest timber available at the time. The cannery received yearly deliveries from San Francisco via sailing ships carrying fishermen and cannery workers to harvest the bounty of the massive runs of Sockeye Salmon. The area became known as Graveyard Point after a cemetery was put in on the hilltop when several workers and fishermen passed during the Spanish Flu. In 1959 the cannery was closed as the industry consolidated operations on the nearby deeper channel of the Nakenek River. Almost immediately the abandoned cannery became camp to several small families of set-net fishermen, who fished commercially, but did so out of small versatile skiffs rather than the bulk of drift boats that make up the majority of the Bay’s catch. These founding families were somewhat feudal, a mix of locals and those with ties to the lower 48, many with different religious views and ways of life. However as time has passed, generations have blended, friends have brought friends, and this summer fishing camp has in large part become a place of camaraderie in between the hard working hours on the water. Bread is broken between crews, bonfires are gathered around on tides-off. The shared connection is the simplicity of living off grid in a modern world and the fraternal bonds that come through working in challenging conditions.
This show is a collection of art works by two fishermen who have been returning to Graveyard Point each summer for nearly twenty years each, Martin Machado and Corey Arnold. Machado is based out of San Francisco, is primarily an oil painter, and states: “I wanted to try to focus on small portraits of the fishing folks that make up this community. I wish I had more time to paint them all, every single one is a character. The people that make up this community are vivacious and fiercely independent and replenish my soul on an annual basis. I like to think about this slice of existence that I’m witnessing in this place I’ve grown to know so well, and all the generations that came before to meet the salmon each summer. There is such a powerful energy to this salmon run and I believe a lot of that strength is transferred to the people who fish there, both in sustenance and in spirit.” In addition to the portraits Martin is showing works of his continued “Wake Series” which depict a sort of ship’s eye view of a wake spiraling off the stern, contemplating the passing of time and the role of labor in our lives. Additionally he is showing several paintings depicting motifs around camp: fishermen bathing in the bay, the view from his outhouse, moonlight on the water, and a still-life of a fish on his cabin’s table.
Low Tide is a photographic exploration of life at sea in Alaska, and the community, camaradarie, and moments of grace one experiences as a seasonal harvestor of seafood. Corey Arnold has worked seasonally as a commercial fisherman for 30 years and now runs a set gillnet operation out of an abandoned cannery at Graveyard Point in Bristol Bay, photographing while he works and sometimes joining friends in other fisheries.
Arnold and Machado also invited a small group of fellow Graveyard fishing folks with artistic skills of their own to hang some of their works. This collection is by: Billie Delaney, Wesley Smith, Alex Wakeman, Stephen Amato, Gabbie Caspar, Derrick Fore, and Craig Voligny.
On a remote spit of sand and mud in Alaska, where the mouth of the Kvichak River meets Bristol Bay, lies an area that has been camped on by indigenous fishermen for several thousand years. In 1910 the Koggiung Cannery was built from the finest timber available at the time. The cannery received yearly deliveries from San Francisco via sailing ships carrying fishermen and cannery workers to harvest the bounty of the massive runs of Sockeye Salmon. The area became known as Graveyard Point after a cemetery was put in on the hilltop when several workers and fishermen passed during the Spanish Flu. In 1959 the cannery was closed as the industry consolidated operations on the nearby deeper channel of the Nakenek River. Almost immediately the abandoned cannery became camp to several small families of set-net fishermen, who fished commercially, but did so out of small versatile skiffs rather than the bulk of drift boats that make up the majority of the Bay’s catch. These founding families were somewhat feudal, a mix of locals and those with ties to the lower 48, many with different religious views and ways of life. However as time has passed, generations have blended, friends have brought friends, and this summer fishing camp has in large part become a place of camaraderie in between the hard working hours on the water. Bread is broken between crews, bonfires are gathered around on tides-off. The shared connection is the simplicity of living off grid in a modern world and the fraternal bonds that come through working in challenging conditions.
This show is a collection of art works by two fishermen who have been returning to Graveyard Point each summer for nearly twenty years each, Martin Machado and Corey Arnold. Machado is based out of San Francisco, is primarily an oil painter, and states: “I wanted to try to focus on small portraits of the fishing folks that make up this community. I wish I had more time to paint them all, every single one is a character. The people that make up this community are vivacious and fiercely independent and replenish my soul on an annual basis. I like to think about this slice of existence that I’m witnessing in this place I’ve grown to know so well, and all the generations that came before to meet the salmon each summer. There is such a powerful energy to this salmon run and I believe a lot of that strength is transferred to the people who fish there, both in sustenance and in spirit.” In addition to the portraits Martin is showing works of his continued “Wake Series” which depict a sort of ship’s eye view of a wake spiraling off the stern, contemplating the passing of time and the role of labor in our lives. Additionally he is showing several paintings depicting motifs around camp: fishermen bathing in the bay, the view from his outhouse, moonlight on the water, and a still-life of a fish on his cabin’s table.
Low Tide is a photographic exploration of life at sea in Alaska, and the community, camaradarie, and moments of grace one experiences as a seasonal harvestor of seafood. Corey Arnold has worked seasonally as a commercial fisherman for 30 years and now runs a set gillnet operation out of an abandoned cannery at Graveyard Point in Bristol Bay, photographing while he works and sometimes joining friends in other fisheries.
Arnold and Machado also invited a small group of fellow Graveyard fishing folks with artistic skills of their own to hang some of their works. This collection is by: Billie Delaney, Wesley Smith, Alex Wakeman, Stephen Amato, Gabbie Caspar, Derrick Fore, and Craig Voligny.
