’Tis the season to be jolly – and generous. There’s no better way to say thanks to your family, friends, co-workers and employees for all they do than by giving them a little something special for the holidays. But with all of the options out there, finding that perfect item can be a trying (and time-consuming) task. By giving the gift of local art, you’re not only getting something truly unique and special, you’re also supporting local creatives and artisans, while injecting money into the local economy.
Subsea 7 is one business that understands the value of supporting local. Over the past few years, the company has established a relationship with renowned local visual artist Scott Goudie, commissioning original artworks and runs of up to 100 limited edition prints as gifts for their clients.
It all started when the Subsea 7 team celebrated the opening of their St. John’s office at 351 Water Street in 2014, with guests receiving one of Goudie’s prints titled “The Torngats Meet the Labrador Sea.” The business enjoyed his work so much that they also gifted Goudie’s print of a snow covered Signal Hill to guests at their “’Tis the Season” Christmas event another year.
“I was aware of Scott’s work, as well as the printing process he uses, so I reached out to see if he was interested in working with us,” explains Stephen Henley, Vice President, Subsea 7, Canada on his decision to work with the local artist.
A versatile artist who has been on the scene for over four decades, Goudie is perhaps best known for his landscapes. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and can be found in a number of public and private collections including The Rooms’ Permanent Collection, the Canada Council Art Bank, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the Simon Fraser University Art Gallery in British Columbia, to name a few.
“The majority of my work is the landscapes of Newfoundland and Labrador and I generally exclude humans because of their negative effects on the pristine landscapes. It’s a quiet environmental statement, but it’s my lifelong passion to record and interpret our incredible environment…I especially love studying water, whether it’s a river or an ocean,” Goudie says.
“I also do love doing cityscapes of St. John’s, the old parts of the city where I was born and continue to live.”
Henley says he’s received positive reactions from those who have been gifted Goudie’s artwork and he’s confident that the business will collaborate with him again.
“The feedback has been just great. Scott has an ability to truly capture the beauty and starkness of Newfoundland and Labrador in a special way.”
But Goudie isn’t the only artist who Subsea 7 has worked with. This year, Henley says, MotherMetal Art (a St. John’s-based business that provides unique handcrafted metal artwork made to order) provided the memento at Subsea’s Christmas function.
Through investing in the work of local artists, Subsea 7 has found a unique way to acknowledge their clients during the holiday season, while acknowledging their commitment to community.
“It is difficult to not link business and culture as they are major ingredients in the DNA of a community,” Henley says.
“Our industry is very international, so it is important that we share our culture through the artistic talent that resides here.”
