History
Rogue Goat began as the artifacts of a love story. We ~ Josh Hill and I ~ registered the business name two months before we were married. I had an idea and Josh had an old, rusted scroll saw and a stack of leftover hardwood flooring.
A design I had sketched as a tree growing from a piece of agate inset into the wood instead became the roots of the tree and became the catalyst for the idea of painting the tree above. We eventually moved away from the jewellery and accessories we initially created into making our distinctive wall art full time and travelling with it across Canada with the kids. We were so proud to have created an original artform together, one that sustained our family and animals.
On September 6, 2022, Josh died by suicide at age 39. The writing of the story of how a Josh is made and unmade, the wonder and the destruction, the story of that last day and the ones before it, how it has altered all the rest of my days, is something that I am working on now, something that feels like a sacred duty to Josh, to truth, and to our sons.
Initially, I created a “library” of Josh’s roots by taking rubbings of the last pieces he cut, rootwork that had evolved over the years and countless hours at the scrollsaw. I thought that the delicate graphite ghosts could carry his hands and heart forward into the new work I had to create alone. But it's never been my nature to follow patterns or anyone else's path, so Josh’s roots now solely belong to our previous chapters, a few examples of which can be found below.
During our time as Rogue Goat, Josh and I were proud to win the following awards; 2016 Best 2D Art, The New Arts Festival; 2015 People’s Choice Award, Circle Craft,; 2014/2015 Exhibition Assistance Grant, Ontario Arts Council, 2014 Gold Award for Craft Excellence, Circle Craft; 2011 Best Booth Award, Summerfolk. We participated in festivals and events in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Chicago, and many cities throughout Ontario ~ Toronto, Ottawa, Windsor, Orillia, Kingston, Owen Sound, Collingwood, Niagara and more.