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| "Bear Spirit" |
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“Bear Spirit”
12"h. Rear view. Private collection. Carved from alder with acrylic paint. Several years ago an acquaintance showed me several photos of carved Northwest Coast Native shaman figures from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There are some very nicely done examples of shaman figures of that vintage, but the examples I saw in these photographs were quite crudely done.
I was given a down payment and asked to carve a shaman figure, but not to make it too nice, because it might take away from it’s spirituality. At the time, I needed the work and accepted an advance. Several months passed while I procrastinated starting on the project. I don’t subscribe to the philosophy that art must be crude in order to evoke a spiritual essence, believing instead that the spirit of a piece is a result of the integrity the artist puts into it. I returned the down payment with an apology, stating that I couldn’t, in good conscience accomplish what was asked of me. Now, when a prospective client approaches me in the above manner, I say “I charge double for shoddy work.” Anyway, I was free from my obligation and made this little shaman figure for myself.
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"Bear Spirit"
front view |
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“Beseiged”
36"h. Hampton collection. Carved from laminated Alaska yellow cedar. I have carved several canoes. I enjoy being out out the water with them, but there have been a few times when I probably shouldn’t have been. Although I have never been beseiged by an octopus, I have at times been beseiged with some pretty hairy wind and large waves. I suppose that is the inspiration for this sculpture. Also, the idea of creating something a little out of the ordinary was a fun challenge. In scale, this represents approximately an 18 ft. canoe of the Makah type. I had made a canoe of this size and type shortly before making this model.
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"Beseiged"
Canoe prow detail |
Detail of the beseiged |
"Beseiged"
Detail of port gunwale in surf |
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| "Drummer" |
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“Drummer”
4'h. Jerry and Marilyn Wilson collection. Carved from laminated alder. This is a departure from the traditional, although there are some very nice small model shaman figures done in the 19th century by Haida carvers, particularly those attributed to an artist by the name of Simeon Stilthda. His work is probably the precedent for my carving this piece. The human figures are quite naturalistic but slightly foreshortened, which gives them a somewhat whimsical character. He also didn’t "busy-up" his sculptures with detailed musculature. I gave my “Drummer” a little more animation and didn’t try to emulate Stilthda's particular facial style, which is almost like his signature. I love doing this type of thing. I took it even a little farther with “Song Leader”.
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| "Drummer" detail |
"Drummer" detail |
"Drummer" detail |
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| "Song Leader" |
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“Song Leader”
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"Song Leader"
detail |
"Song Leader"
detail |
4'h. Private collection. Carved from Alaska yellow cedar. Inspiration for this piece comes from watching a Nuchanutl singer and song leader of great reputation. Witnessing his singing and conducting is almost the nearest to a spiritual experience I have had.
I took license with the hair and attire, but I tried to evoke the essence of the man. Although I don’t have the physique of this finished work, I did use myself as a model, assuming the posture and having myself photographed from four compass points. I don’t like getting into too much detail with musculature, although I did take it and the animation farther than Simeon Stilthda or “The Drummer”. I used some artistic license in that, traditionally, it would be unlikely that a feather wand would be used in conjunction with a rattle,which can be seen in some of the detail photos. I had a lot of fun with the hair.
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"Daybreak"
3/4 view of upper section of settee |
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“Daybreak”
36"h x 60"w. Private collection. Carved from Western red cedar with acrylic paint. This type of seat or couch is generally referred to as a "settee". Traditionally, high-ranking Northwest Coast natives positioned themselves on these in front of the invited assemblage at potlatches, usually accompanied by their heir. Typically embellished with the house crests, these settees were often quite elaborate, although I must admit that I’ve not seen one this crazy. I chose for this settee my favorite personal theme of Red Tail hawk, Stellar's jay and sun. Even though this is a functional piece, I regard it as a sculpture, because of its dimensionality and animation.
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| "Snowy Egret" |
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“Snowy Egret”
60"h x 30"w. Private collection. Carved from Alaska yellow cedar with shredded cedar bark and acrylic paint.
“Ya seen any Snowy Egrets?” That’s Jack Nicholson talking to Cher in the “Witches of Eastwick”. A few years ago in February I was driving to Tahoe, by way of the Sacramento Valley. There had been a flood and it seemed like there were Snowy Egrets like this one everywhere. They aren’t indigenous to the northwest and I had never seen one before. They have a fairly wide range and can be seen in many parts of the continent at various times of the year, with large flocks wintering in northern California.These birds are not large, their wingspan only reaching to about forty-five inches, but they are truly magnificent, with their white plumage and graceful demeanor. No wonder they were hunted to near-extinction for their feathers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I generally stick with animals, birds, and fish that are indigenous to the northwest for subjects, but I couldn’t resist using this guy for this panel.
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"Snowy Egret"
detail |
"Snowy Egret"
detail |
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