The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia presents Cecil Day: Traps, an ambitious and skillfully crafted body of work that involves a variety of printmaking processes.

Through her work, Day, a resident of Port Maitland, Nova Scotia, delves into the natural world and our mark on it - a prevalent theme in her art. With Traps (2008-2010), her most recent series, Day looks to the subject of hunting to develop a suite of etchings that illustrate, to scale, traditional traps-box traps, snares, leg irons-alongside their related quarry.

Working in close dialogue with avid trappers, Day researched each item. She studied how the traps worked, how they were constructed, and the history as well as the corresponding animals, for example, lobster, eel, rat, bobcat, bear, and rabbit. Her interest lies not in trapping itself, whether in condoning or condemning the activity, but rather in using it as a vehicle to examine the evolving face of our connection to and understanding of nature. The traps serve as a symbol of this relationship.

In finding beauty in these objects, Day respectfully documents a fading lifestyle that is reliant upon a true awareness of the land and knowledge of the patterns and habits of the creatures that reside within it for survival.

Cecil Day has many exhibitions to her credit. These include Tidelines, At the Sign of the Whale Gallery, Yarmouth, NS (2007); Journey in the North Atlantic, Craft Council Gallery, St. John’s, NL (2005); and Dark Forest, which travelled to Acadia University, St. Francis Xavier University, and the University of New Brunswick between 1994 and 1996. Her work is held in a range of private and public collections such as the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Memorial University, Acadia University, Canada Council Art Bank, National Library of Canada, and Harvard University.

Photo: Cecil Day, Obsolete Bear Trap, detail, 2010, etching on Fabriano paper, 116.5 x 100.0 cm, collection of the artist

Alongside the exhibition of Cecil's work, the AGNS Western Branch reopens the following shows:

Cecil Day: An Atlantic Bestiary
Hooked on the Past
and
Folk Art of Nova Scotia

Opening reception: 6:30 PM Friday, April 15, 2011
On view: April 16, 2011 to March 30, 2012