Sibéal Foyle is an Irish Canadian artist and educator who moved to Salt Spring Island in 2017 with her husband, Peter. Her new coastal, rural surroundings led to more in-depth studies of the local flora and fauna around her and an acute awareness of how fragile and precious it all is.

Using watercolours, conté, pastels, and paint, she started to draw studies of local lichens, birds, and bees. From there, she has developed a series of larger drawing studies of cherished, iconic Canadian large mammals.

“Living on a small island has changed how I mark time. Observing seasonal changes by bird migrations, nesting preferences, and year-round food availability has made me acutely aware of how fragile and precious our local ecosystem is and how much in danger we are of destroying it. It is my hope that, by highlighting this beauty through my drawings, we will be moved to realize that we can all do a lot more to protect our local flora and fauna.”