Jennifer Marlow

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artist statement

Whether it is the noble form of the whale or the industry that so gruesomely exploited it, the golden age of whaling continues to be a theme that I return to as a sculptor time and again as a sculptor.

As subject matter for a carver, the whale provides technical challenges as well as aesthetic opportunities: juxtaposition of linear and circular, grace and power, male and female.  Such correlations may be present in a single piece or within a group.

Whether in style or practice, as process, the act of carving encourages improvisation. Because the medium is so alive the uncertainty of outcome is rich both in promise and surprise.

selected biography

Jennifer Marlow discovered her woodcarving skills 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts on the island of Nantucket.  Drawn to the island by Nathaniel Philbrick’s fascinating, In the Heart of the Sea, her first sculptures made alongside Master Carver Paul McCarthy were of the whales that played an integral part in both the book and the region’s survival.

Upon returning to her native Nova Scotia, Marlow opened her own workshop where she continues to practice the art of maritime carving.  In 2005 she was invited back to Nantucket to join one of  her mentors in the restoration project ‘Going on the Whale’, a 10 foot carved whaling scene that welcomes visitors to the Nantucket Whaling Museum.

The maritime carving tradition holds numerous attractions for Marlow as an artist.  It embraces heritage, environment and art while demanding implicit trust between hand and eye, intricately linking the tactile with the aesthetic.  It also encourages improvisation, whether in style or practice, the uncertainty of outcome rich in promise and surprise Marlow holds a Degree in Music from Dalhousie University and has also studied Martial Arts for most of her life, her focus being largely on Karate.