Linda Wiebe

2019 Celtic Festival Fine Art Print: Swimming Otter

$35.00

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I created Swimming Otter for the 2019 Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich, Ontario. The original is used in fundraising for the festival each year. These prints are available in 3 sizes and are giclee fine art quality on cold press bright white paper.

I have been making artwork for the festival each year since 1993 and this is 27th in the series. Each piece is created to tell a story and has become a visual invitation to an annual celebration of music, dance, storytelling and craft art in the Celtic tradition.

Prints will include the title "Swimming Otter" with my signature and year, 2019 and will come in in a clear bag with foam core backing.

Artist Notes

Swimming Otter

Underwater spiralling

Joyful, night time swimmer

I make my home

in the roots of trees

anchored at the water's edge

A river is healthy when I am here.

Have you seen an otter swimming in a river?

They have been seen

in an Irish story, The Voyage of Maelduin, where otters on the Island of Otter bring sailors salmon to eat.

And in the Voyage of Brendan an otter brought a hermit salmon and firewood.

They have been seen

drying the feet of St Cuthbert who liked to pray in the sea.

Helpful and friendly, they have been given the name "water dog."

They have been seen

Swimming in a row perhaps mistaken for the Loch Ness monster.

In a Welsh tale, the sorceress Ceridwen became an otter when Gwion transformed into a salmon

Have you seen an otter swimming in a river?

A river is healthy when they are there

and so are our stories.

Source

Puplett, Dan. “Otter Mythology and Folklore.” Trees for Life, Trees for Life, 20 June 2019, treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythology-folklore/otter/.