Cassiar Cannery
3900 Skeena Dr V0V 1G0 Port Edward, BC, Canada

Two clouds a world apart!

A couple beautiful Cassiar Cannery related prints available from 2019 AIR Jon Claytor Art Projects! 11" x 17" prints are available for $75 each including shipping. Please send him a PM if you are interested :) These were accompanied by a lovely story about what these two items meant to Jon "I chose to make a print of the phone booth because for me it was a symbol of the essence of what I went through. In the end, art like a phone, is simply about communication. It felt l...ike that phone booth was waiting for me to be ready to tell my story. My journey took me down many harrowing roads to the point where I was finally able to phone home, metaphorically, and truly, from the other side of the country and share my story with my family and friends. That old phone booth, like this old man, was still able to reach out and make amends and forge new relationships. I see the print as a self portrait in many ways. A self portrait of me on my journey trying to reach out and communicate with my loved ones. So, I hope you can see, that old phone booth actually meant a lot to me and my stay at the cannery" And something similar with the boat. See more

Endless high tides for seems like a month. Everything is A-OK and take a look at the little gull on the left. I think Herminator, a juvenile California Herring Gull, is back! I do believe we have been adopted!

Still pretty much covered in snow out here! Not like this photo but winter is hanging on here on Inverness Passage!

In partnership with the Prince Rupert Community Arts Council, we are thrilled to announce Prince Rupert's own, SUZO HICKEY, as the 2021 Fall Artist-in-Residence. Suzo Hickey is a painter living in Prince Rupert, BC. She migrated from coast (Prince Rupert) to desert (Kamloops) and back to coast (Vancouver) in 1991, attending Emily Carr College of Art and Design. Since graduating in 1994, Suzo exhibited in BC and the US on themes of queer mothering, urban landscapes, and death ...in the family. Her work has always been informed by the specifics of her life: the death of her 24-year-old son in Mirificus, stereotyping in You Fucking Fruit, queer motherhood in Let Me Go Down in the Mud. In 2008 her work became urban landscape. After constructing shows around issues, she began examining the formal, enigmatic power of what was around her: the ordinariness of rainy intersections and leafless trees in her East Vancouver neighbourhood. In 2016 Suzo moved back to her hometown of Prince Rupert. Continuing her exploration of urban surroundings, Suzo’s work has turned another corner. In addition to layers of light and weather, circles and ovals permeate these new Northern landscapes. At first subdued, and then with a forceful confidence, giving the paintings an energetic newness. For the Cassiar Cannery residency, "what I would like to experience, is the ultimate plein air situation painting the landscape, right in front of me, without working outside. I have never tackled plein air painting; I don’t paint fast enough, I normally paint on large canvases, and I am a fan of painting bad weather. It has never seemed like a good fit and definitely not worth it to sit outside in the elements. But this would be different. This would be a unique opportunity. I would take on two view points, to the north and to the south, knowing that over the course of 10 days the light and weather and tides will change constantly. How will this effect composition? And how will I make decisions about the elements? Part of the enjoyment of painting is to challenge yourself, and be ready to embrace change. in unexpected ways. I don’t know what the effect will be, 10 uninterrupted days of painting, but I would love to find out." Suzo will be at the Cassiar Cannery September 13 - 23, 2021. For more information about Suzo Hickey, please visit her online at http://www.suzohickey.ca or on Facebook: Suzo Hickey (artworks)

Despite humanity doing strange things, nature is rolling along in the Skeena Estuary! Tides come in and tides go out, birds, mammals and fish come and go. It gives a good perspective to know that people in this place have seen and endured some major external world events and the tides came in and out, the seasons changed and life went on.

Summertime! Good batch of flowers that year :) Hard to believe we will be hosting in a month! It's basically been a year give or take a few guests! Kuma is going to be very happy dog. She's been missing the endless amount of love she gets!

This week I have talked to several business owners who are reporting "it's slow". If it fits into your budget, I would really like to encourage you to make a conscious effort to support small business - whether it is locally or another community. It's coming to reckoning time - the six month's of payment relief on bridge financing loans is up and payments are due. It's been a tough slog for many sectors for near a year now and we still have another 6 - 12 months to go. Order take out from your favourite restaurant, book a staycation - even if it is later on in the year - make an extra stop at the butcher, baker and candlestick maker. Starbucks announced 300 store closures today and that's corporate! I know all of us love unique small businesses wherever in the world they are.

Another funny Cassiar moment to share! August 2, 2011. Our five year anniversary arriving at the Cassiar Cannery. But who got the cake? The dogs from Captain Karl!

The first real wave of COVID has arrived in Rupert and it's hard. People in small towns are not anonymous and our community is experiencing COVID related deaths. I can listen to a Scottish person read the grocery list 100 times over so I did get a kick out of this video telling everyone to stay home! All kidding aside though, it's only been a couple weeks. Kids out of school, businesses temporarily closed, grieving families and community members. Crikey!

Love the shape of the sun in this photo. It's amazing how many different shapes the sun can be in different situations.

#tbt to 2010 and one mother of a slide that hit our road the day my mother-in-law needed to catch a flight home. She's such a trooper donning full rain gear to get across this wide deep pile of debris and mud to our neighbour Ed on the other side with his truck to get her into town. One of those Cassiar moments I always remember!

Spring turns the Cassiar Cannery into a lazy birder's paradise. My personal favourite is the sandpiper migration. First a couple scouts show up and, within a week or ten days, thousands join them. If you like birds, April and May are fantastic months to visit to be a lazy birder on the deck!

#TBT to leaving Coho House in 2006!

A big thank you to the visual artists from Northern BC who took the time to apply for the Artist-in-Residence program in September by the deadline of December 31, 2020. We greatly appreciate everyone's interest and now we are gearing up for the worst part of this program - the selection. It's a challenge for all five of us on the selection committee to choose the right artist and we can only choose one! Once again - from Team Cassiar and our partners in art, the Prince Rupert Community Arts Council - thank you for putting yourself out there, creating outstanding applications and showcasing your beautiful art. Each and every application is perfect for this program. I would like to encourage everyone who did apply over the years to keep your applications coming every year! It could be you looking at these Skeena sunrises!

Perspective: You see rainbows and I see a mammoth amount of painting to do! It was so wet in 2020, there was little hope of exterior painting! I hope we can get it done this year! 192 regular pieces and no rotating. Enjoy!

Jeepers! Mother Nature is blasting into 2021! Starting with this mother-of-a-storm hitting Alaska New Years and today we have the storm of the season! I turned around at the highway this morning and headed home after dodging branches and flying debris on Cannery Road on the school run after a big blast of wind. I can see some power outages today! Hang on everyone and stay off the ocean!

Hi Cassiar Community! If you feel like weighing in on a choice of one of these line drawings again, we are going to choose one to move on. Its first job is to go on the front of our new no-contact check in guide books. They will be like nice menus with a leather/pleather cover. Then the image will also be able to go on swag. The poll function seems to have disappeared so please weigh in with a: 1. LIKE for the top image 2. LOVE for the bottom left 3. WOW for bottom right... These have been created by 2019 Artist-in-Residence Jon Claytor Art Projects Thanks for your time! We like them all so appreciate your feedback!

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Cassiar Cannery 2020 Artist-in-Residence Mark Tworow bringing a virtual oil painting workshop to your home! This is a wonderfully soothing 44 minute video highlighting Mark's techniques to creating visually powerful and colourful landscapes. Enjoy! Applications are open for the 2021 Short Artist-in-Residence Program September 13 - 23, 2023. This session if for emerging and professional artists living and working in Northern BC only. Link to application details in the comments.

Hello winter...my old friend! Hibernation time for most flora and fauna in the Skeena! It's dark! Dark dark where you can't see your feet and the day feels over at 4pm. I do like this time of year!

It hasn't covered us with the cold white stuff yet but we are brightening up our lives this weekend, inside and out, with some lights, window decorations and getting started on the annual gingerbread house. Anyone else adding some decor this weekend or is a hard no until December 1? I draw the line at Christmas movies in November!

It was a particularly peaceful moment in 2007! Only 150 pieces this time around! That 300 piece puzzle took a while! Too big or should we tackle another that size one day?

Four years ago and a repeat this week! Really big tides, especially yesterday, at the Cassiar Cannery!

150% happy in this photo! Why? Because this is the very first time I got to drive a tug boat! And as an added bonus, we are towing our first set of beachcombed logs to the mill! Good times!!

Who is looking at who? A nice one of a couple juvenile grizzly bears! 150 pieces for a rainy Saturday! Enjoy :)

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE 2021 SHORT ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM! In partnership with the Prince Rupert Community Arts Council, we are pleased to invite emerging and established artists from NORTHERN BC only to apply to be the Artist-in-Residence at the Cassiar Cannery September 13 - 23, 2021.... Application deadline is December 31, 2020. Please find all the details here: http://www.cassiarcannery.com//artist-in-residence-program/ Follow the application guidelines and submit your completed application to the Prince Rupert Community Arts Council on the email provided. This is a paid residency. Due to COVID-19, we have suspended the public workshops and excursions. We are pleased to host Vancouver based visual artist Laara Cerman to the Long Artist-in-Residence Program for 20 days in May carrying over from this past Spring to next year. https://www.laaracerman.com Please share around your artist network and we are excited to announce the successful candidate by January 31, 2021 and to capture the beauty of BC's North Coast with two talented artists in 2021!

There's a story to this photo! As the only female present, I endured a 40 minute discussion by these five lovely guys all about the thrashed, muddy, flat, backhoe tire in the back of the truck. Oh yes! 40 minutes on "I think that's a 16" 12 ply" "Nope, that's a 16" 14 ply". Thank God there was beer..... and possibly the inspiration for future women's retreats!

We have many many birds here at the moment and this puzzle is (kinda) for them! Enjoy puzzle peeps. It might be a bit challenging so only 120 regular pieces!

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting guests in 2021 and our calendar is finally open! There will be a few COVID changes for 2021. We will not be hosting events, experiences or retreats until we feel comfortable bringing diverse groups of people together. It will be Guest House rentals only. We have also increased our minimum night stays during peak periods to five nights during Spring Break, June, July and August in support of the "fewer faces, longer stay" ...travel recommendations. We are keeping our two night minimum the rest of the year for those recharging weekend getaways! We are looking forward to it! Please help share the news! A year away is a long time :)

Friday giggle for all of us dog people!

Everyone's day is better with rainbows! Have a good one all :)

Well we arent executing much of 2020 but we are excited to host at least one of our Artist-in-Residence stays! Mark Tworow will be making his way to the Cassiar Cannery for 10 peaceful days of creating his beautiful artwork. Mark is a visual artist living and painting in beautiful Smithers, BC. A graduate of Alberta College of Art, his work is represented in private collections in the UK, Canada, United States and New Zealand. Mark works in landscapes, abstracts and still life paintings. His paintings are known for their strong formal structure and lush painterly colours. His work can be viewed online at http://www.marktworow.com In partnership with the Prince Rupert Community Arts Council, we are looking forward to it! Due to COVID, sadly we are not hosting a workshop with Mark.

Well we aren't executing much of 2020 but we are excited to host at least one of our Artist-in-Residence stays! Mark Tworow will be making his way to the Cassiar Cannery for 10 peaceful days of creating his beautiful artwork. Mark is a visual artist living and painting in beautiful Smithers, BC. A graduate of Alberta College of Art, his work is represented in private collections in the UK, Canada, United States and New Zealand. Mark works in landscapes, abstracts and still life paintings. His paintings are known for their strong formal structure and lush painterly colours. His work can be viewed online at http://www.marktworow.com In partnership with the Prince Rupert Community Arts Council, we are looking forward to it! Due to COVID, sadly we are not hosting a workshop with Mark.

There has been a boom in the population of red squirrels the past couple years leading to a rise in the martin populations! This little one seemed quite happy to pose for a number of portraits! 150 regular pieces and enjoy puzzle peeps :)

Despite the rain, the sun did peek through on occasions last month usually in the evening! 140 pieces and no rotating! Enjoy puzzle peeps :)

Its been impressive to say the least! Thank goodness Im half rainwater :) Has it been extraordinarily wet at your house? I know our friend Fraser in Scotland said it has been very wet there too!

It's been impressive to say the least! Thank goodness I'm half rainwater :) Has it been extraordinarily wet at your house? I know our friend Fraser in Scotland said it has been very wet there too!

A new Cassiar Cannery research paper came out! In this one marine biologist Dr Travis Gerwing and his team integrated the research they did at Cassiar Cannery with research they did around Prince Rupert and in the Maritimes to make a method of sediment assessment! The big news is that is was published in the number one marine ecology journal in the world! We are thrilled for Travis and crew to be published in such a prestigious publication and very happy to contribute in a meaningful way to the knowledge bank of the North Coast and further afield! https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13428

Here you go puzzle peeps! A classic Eagle pose at the Cassiar Cannery. 120 pieces and enjoy! :)

Birders! Any idea what type of gull this is? I call him The Herminator and he's been hanging around, looking lost and spending a strange amount of time around our house. Arrived after the super soggy days.

Puzzle peeps! It's been a while but here is one of my favourite pics from our hike to Silver King Basin :) Got a good one for you tomorrow too! 117 regular pieces! Enjoy.

Birders! Any idea what type of gull this is? I call him The Herminator and hes been hanging around, looking lost and spending a strange amount of time around our house. Arrived after the super soggy days.

How pretty is this? Happy as a clam up there on a horse again smelling those lovely warm dusty horse smells and then we moseyed up here to ride along the edge of a flowering canola field with those killer Smithers mountains in the distance! A good day indeed! First time for one kid and second for the other! 140 regular pieces and enjoy! Smithers Tourism

Puzzle peeps! Its been a while but here is one of my favourite pics from our hike to Silver King Basin :) Got a good one for you tomorrow too! 117 regular pieces! Enjoy.

Another one of those places one passes on the Highway but never stops! The Ferry Island Faces in Terrace, BC. These add a really fun dimension to an easy one hour walk around the island. Keep your eyes peeled for these treasures and for bears! Visit Terrace and stop at Ferry Island Provincial Park for a walk or camping :)

Had a change of scenery last week! We took a trip to hike and trail ride horses in beautiful Smithers! Got into the alpine, saw some amazing wildflowers, saw some cows, sat on a horse for the first time in 25 years, lots of fresh tracks and new vistas! We are definitely looking forward to getting back there for more great hiking and exploring in our own backyards! Smithers Tourism

Exstew Falls! A picture perfect waterfall between Rupert and Terrace. Who has been there?

Another perk to not working! The plants in the greenhouse are definitely looking better than previous years! Had to start pulling these as it was getting hard to walk by. Now the zucchini and tomato plants are ginormous! No actual tomatoes yet but hopeful that enough sun will penetrate this crazy wet weather!

Just a little update on Mark. He's doing quite well. Fortunately, he is a candidate for a cutting edge cancer treatment called immunotherapy. Right now he is getting a course of antibodies which break down the cancer defense system and can 'unmask' those clever cancer cells hiding as healthy cells. He gets this by IV every three weeks for three years by the nice team at the Rupert hospital. He's four treatments in. And a big shout out to Dr. Taylor Seier, Rupert's most ...caring Naturopath, who has spent hours researching everything to do with Mark. If you are not feeling your best, head to the Great Bear Natural Medicine Clinic! He's experienced major improvement since the Spring which was truly awful and bleak. His colour is back along with his energy. We aren't quite ready to host other people yet, both for COVID and our own bandwidth, so we are going to remain closed until MARCH 2021! It's a long way off but wow is the summer passing quickly now. We have had so many calls for accommodation, a record really with 3+ a day, and it's weird to say no, so thanks for bearing with us as we hunker down and get through this. Thank you to everyone who has sent kind thoughts, nice notes and a big thank you for the seafood donations! It's his #1 food to get healthy again :) Team Cassiar!

Just a little update on Mark. Hes doing quite well. Fortunately, he is a candidate for a cutting edge cancer treatment called immunotherapy. Right now he is getting a course of antibodies which break down the cancer defense system and can unmask those clever cancer cells hiding as healthy cells. He gets this by IV every three weeks for three years by the nice team at the Rupert hospital. Hes four treatments in. And a big shout out to Dr. Taylor Seier, Ruperts most ...caring Naturopath, who has spent hours researching everything to do with Mark. If you are not feeling your best, head to the Great Bear Natural Medicine Clinic! Hes experienced major improvement since the Spring which was truly awful and bleak. His colour is back along with his energy. We arent quite ready to host other people yet, both for COVID and our own bandwidth, so we are going to remain closed until MARCH 2021! Its a long way off but wow is the summer passing quickly now. We have had so many calls for accommodation, a record really with 3+ a day, and its weird to say no, so thanks for bearing with us as we hunker down and get through this. Thank you to everyone who has sent kind thoughts, nice notes and a big thank you for the seafood donations! Its his #1 food to get healthy again :) Team Cassiar!

Well, my goodness! Year 15 for our stewardship of the Cassiar Cannery started yesterday! Heres our annual throwback to where we began! More "In The Beginning" photos on our website: http://www.cassiarcannery.com

Well, my goodness! Year 15 for our stewardship of the Cassiar Cannery started yesterday! Here's our annual throwback to where we began! More "In The Beginning" photos on our website: http://www.cassiarcannery.com

The first day of summer arrived on Thursday, July 29th and we werent the only ones heading to Kitson Island - one of the best beaches around!

Twas a beautiful evening last night. A good night for the Northern BC tourism crew to capture the beauty of Cannery Row!

The first day of summer arrived on Thursday, July 29th and we weren't the only ones heading to Kitson Island - one of the best beaches around!

Ive heard that Barn Swallows like company and tend to roost where there are people about. The more activity we had here since our arrival at 2006 did seem to increase the barn swallows to the extent that we now live with many many many Barn Swallows and this year we also have a bigger population of the gorgeous blue Tree Swallow! 120 pieces, no rotating, full colour and enjoy! :)

T'was a beautiful evening last night. A good night for the Northern BC tourism crew to capture the beauty of Cannery Row!

One of those awesome sunsets on the porch! 130 pieces. No rotating and enjoy!

I've heard that Barn Swallows like company and tend to roost where there are people about. The more activity we had here since our arrival at 2006 did seem to increase the barn swallows to the extent that we now live with many many many Barn Swallows and this year we also have a bigger population of the gorgeous blue Tree Swallow! 120 pieces, no rotating, full colour and enjoy! :)

The first black and white puzzle! Its one of my favourites from the Snidal collection! 120 (regular for G lol) pieces! Enjoy and let me know what you think of the B&W!

Another bigger, more complicated puzzle this morning taking you back to one of the glorious sunrises over the Skeena River. 140 pieces and no rotating!

Oh my! Must be feeling a tad sadistic this morning! This is going to be a toughie! Possibly hardest one yet but take heart that there are no rotating pieces. Hope you have your blue googles on! 140 pieces and enjoy!

This photo has resurfaced on the www! Its a lovely morning photo of the timeless Skeena Slough! 108 pieces :)

This falls into the "Things That Make Me Happy" category! Look at the smiles on these lovely ladies!

Pretty big one for you today! 140 pieces :)

The first black and white puzzle! It's one of my favourites from the Snidal collection! 120 (regular for G lol) pieces! Enjoy and let me know what you think of the B&W!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE heading up these Skeena tributaries. Heres one of our favourite picnic spots! 120 pieces and no rotating :)

Heres a beauty from one of our trips down the Skeena with Mark Perry! Just love this trip and looking forward to getting out there again in 2021! 117 pieces and no rotating. Enjoy :)

This photo has resurfaced on the www! It's a lovely morning photo of the timeless Skeena Slough! 108 pieces :)

I do believe this little beauty is a Hairy Woodpecker! Anyone....anyone...Bueller lol

Although we pretty much live in the wilderness, we barely see deer here! I think the wolves have kept them in town but when the wolves were in Port Ed, guess who took a walk through and an almost show-pose to boot! EDIT: Heres a link to do this photo as a puzzle! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=00c5b603e94b

Happy Canada Day! So, this is clearly not a Cassiar Cannery shot but it is one of my best Canadian flag shots! Enjoy this 152 piece puzzle and celebrate that we are Canadian - whohoo!

Heres a place that some people are very familiar with and others have never heard of it! Its our neighbouring community of Osland, a turn of the (last century) Icelandic fishing community. Its a 5 minute boat ride from here and its a lovely spot indeed! There are still descendants from the original families using their familial houses :) 108 weird pieces and no rotating! Enjoy :)

We LOVE LOVE LOVE heading up these Skeena tributaries. Here's one of our favourite picnic spots! 120 pieces and no rotating :)

Heres a big one for you of a sunset last week! Its a toughie at 152 pieces! Enjoy :)

Here's a beauty from one of our trips down the Skeena with Mark Perry! Just love this trip and looking forward to getting out there again in 2021! 117 pieces and no rotating. Enjoy :)

"Those fall sunsets on the deck" 117 pieces! Enjoy :) PS. Harvested the biggest, best broccoli of my gardening career for dinner last night! Hows your garden?

"Rainshowers" 100 pieces and no rotating but Im starting to think about a rotating one!!

Take Off Eh! 120 pieces :)

Here's a place that some people are very familiar with and others have never heard of it! It's our neighbouring community of Osland, a turn of the (last century) Icelandic fishing community. It's a 5 minute boat ride from here and it's a lovely spot indeed! There are still descendants from the original families using their familial houses :) 108 weird pieces and no rotating! Enjoy :)

Got a tricky one for you today! All hail the sundew, the North Coasts primary carnivorous bog plant. Its certainly flourishing this year in the bog forest on Butze Rapids. Dont forget to look down and youll find them! 154 pieces and no rotating. Enjoy!

Here's a big one for you of a sunset last week! It's a toughie at 152 pieces! Enjoy :)

Did the Tall Trees trail yesterday. Cant believe it took me fourteen years to do it but in my defense, I have a lot more free time than normal. I cant usually dedicate most of the day to a hike. I did drag two 7 year olds to the top! Its a really beautiful hike and it is a hike! Not recommended when its wet because it is steep and can be slippery. Definitely doing this one whenever weather and time permit. And outstanding views from the top!

"Rainshowers" 100 pieces and no rotating but I'm starting to think about a rotating one!!

'Take Off Eh!' 120 pieces :)

Got a tricky one for you today! All hail the sundew, the North Coast's primary carnivorous bog plant. It's certainly flourishing this year in the bog forest on Butze Rapids. Don't forget to look down and you'll find them! 154 pieces and no rotating. Enjoy!

Did the Tall Trees trail yesterday. Can't believe it took me fourteen years to do it but in my defense, I have a lot more free time than normal. I can't usually dedicate most of the day to a hike. I did drag two 7 year olds to the top! It's a really beautiful hike and it is a hike! Not recommended when it's wet because it is steep and can be slippery. Definitely doing this one whenever weather and time permit. And outstanding views from the top!