Erica Davis is an emerging Nisga'a/Heiltsuk artist hailing from Bella Bella, BC. Despite being relatively new to the Northwest Coast art scene, Erica's work already shows a strong understanding of form, composition, and colour, as well as a distinct stylistic identity.
Featured below is her first silkscreen print, Nits'iits'im-Simgan (Grandmother Cedar). It measures 15" x 22" and is from a limited run of 150 created in 2023.
Cedar trees, our ancient ones. We sit amongst our Ancestors when we are in their presence. I like to think of our cedar forests as our grandmothers standing tall and grounded. They are still and quiet, but they are strong. Just as we love, care, and protect our Nits'iits' (grandmother), we must also take good care to feed and nourish our Nits'iits'im-Simg̱an. Every living being is our family; every creature, every plant, every waterway that flows through these lands, and every spot of our Ts'eets'iks (the land; soil and rock) that has created our home. When our rivers are threatened, the ecosystems that our salmon rely upon, it threatens the very existence of all Mother Earth’s children. Spawning salmon keep our soils rich with nutrients, and feeds our Nits'iits'im-Simg̱an with an abundance of love so that she may continue to provide us with the necessary gifts that she generously shares with us. Just as we reciprocate the love and protection our aging grandparents gave us, we must begin to see the “grandmother in the cedars” that surround us and provide them with the deserving love and protection necessary for their survival.
– Erica Davis