Raven's Journey

H: 6 feet W: 3 feet
Artist's collection
Red Cedar

The design on this carved panel depicts the famous pan-coastal Native American story of Raven bringing light to the world, of which there are many versions.

Raven is shown standing on the box that holds the light, which is shown as a personified Sun, whose hands grip the box. His corona has several stars in human form. The Raven as a boy stands behind the sun holding onto the corona. A personified moon fills the Raven's open mouth.

Salish Sea Hunter

H: 6 feet W: 3 feet
Artist's collection
Red Cedar

The design for this panel is intended to give the feeling of the ancient art style of the Salish Sea area. This is the official term used by the American and Canadian governments to define the area of Puget Sound extending down the Strait of Juan de Fuca and up Georgia Strait in British Columbia. While a piece exactly like this was not likely done in past centuries, something similar might have decorated an interior house post. The hunter is shown with tools of his trade—the harpoon, bow and arrows. There is a two-dimensional design of a thunderbird at the top of the panel which may represent his spirit power.

Salish Sea Weaver

H: 6 feet W: 2 feet
Artist's collection
Red Cedar

After having created the “Salish Sea” Hunter, I felt it somehow lacking if there were no female counterpart. Done in a similar style, this panel depicts a woman from the Salish Sea area as a weaver. She has a basket at her feet and is carrying an infant. The tools of her trade are displayed as a spindle whorl under foot and a loom’s upright members on either side of her. The holes depicted are for the cross-bar. The posts are embellished with three dimensional heads of Thunderbirds. A band of basketry designs spans the breadth of the lower panel. Above the weaver’s head is a two dimensional design of a crow, the spirit power of both her and my wife, Betty.

Memorial

H: 6 feet W: 3 feet
Artist's collection
Red Cedar

The theme of this carved panel has personal spiritual significance for the owner. Suffice it to say that the images are, from the top, an eagle with two Jays, a young woman with two fawns standing amid various plants and small creatures of the forest.

Volcano Woman Door

8 feet x 4 feet.
Harris collection.
Carved out of Douglas fir.

The door is larger than the typical 3 feet x 6 ft 8 in. and is scaled for the portal of the beautiful new home it was made for.

This piece represents the Volcano Woman from a legend involving three brothers, hunters, who threw frogs into their campfire each night they camped . Each time they did this there was a glow on a distant mountain, accompanied by rumbling and a woman's voice crying, “Why are you mistreating my children?”

The brother throws a frog in the fire each night, with the woman’s pleading growing more emphatic. On the fourth night, the mountain spewed forth a great flame and the woman rose up wailing from the center of it, with tears of lava flowing from her eyes, which turned into frogs.

The cultural context for panels in this art form is derived from the traditional exterior false-front house paintings and interior wooden screens. These displayed the crests of the chief and gave the dark house interiors some color. Screens also afforded dramatic backdrops for the ceremonies and associate dances. Painted canvas is often substituted for this purpose in modern times.