Large-scale charcoal drawings depicting the labour and processes of Nova Scotia’s commercial fishing industry.

Botham started this project in 2022, while in Chester Art Centre’s Artist-in-Residency program. 

"The artworks in this series were made using sketches and photos that I’ve accumulated on
fishing boats, processing plants, and docks. They aimed to cut through the often-idealized, touristy depictions of quaint fishing villages, instead depicting the unromanticized, real labour and processes of an industry that’s so quintessential to maritime culture, but often taken for granted. The work was made in a hands-on, documentary way, with a keen sense of passive observation showing each stage of the seafood industry from ocean to plate.

Since my Chester residency marked the beginning of the project, it’s fitting to display the finished project in the same place. The impressive scale and high degree of detail in the
work encourages people to spend a long time with each piece; I’ve been told routinely how much time they spend soaking it in. People involved with the fishing industry have remarked on feeling seen by even the more mundane aspects of the drawing; I’ve had so many long discussions about their own experiences at sea, so I know the work can make an impact."