Thomas Sewid is as a Kwakwaka’wakw/Cree First Nation who was born in Alert Bay off northeastern Vancouver Island in 1965. He became interested in his people’s art as a boy watching the great carvers that are no longer with us creating. His father took him to the carving sheds to[…]
Read More »Victor Michael West is of Tlingit, Cree and Irish ancestry and currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Victor’s life began on a Yukon trap line. Seasonally nomadic, his family travelled consistently, to and from the Yukon and Edmonton and on to Forestburg, with summers on the west coast of[…]
Read More »Joshua was born in Victoria, BC, though his cultural origin is Saskatchewan Cree. He has resided in Victoria for more than half of his life, but did travel and live with his family in others areas of Canada when he was young. Joshua attended High School in Victoria where Native[…]
Read More »Justin Rivard was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia in 1964 and exposed to the Coast Salish culture from an early age. With his father, who at the time was Executive Director of the Native Brotherhood of BC, Justin travelled throughout the native communities on the West Coast of BC. He[…]
Read More »Carrie Matilpi was born in Vancouver in 1973 and holds Kolus, or Baby Thunderbird, as her crest. Carrie works in the traditional Kwakwaka’wakw style and is best known for her beautiful gold and silver Jewellery. She learned to engrave from her father, Charles Harper. She has been carving since 1996[…]
Read More »Born in 1969, James was raised in Merritt, British Columbia and is an active member of the Penticton Metis Association. Extensive travel throughout Northwest Canada, observing the many traditions of different artists, fuelled James’ artistic interests and provided inspiration that is evident is his artwork today. James apprenticed with Coast[…]
Read More »Trevor was born and raised on Haida Gwaii. His mother’s family is Cree from Sweetgrass, Saskatchewan. His father’s family is Gitxsan. Trevor grew up fishing, hunting, camping, and enjoying being close to nature and in a tight knit community. When Trevor was 18 he moved to Vancouver to focus on[…]
Read More »Valerie Malesku was born in 1953 and is of Cree decent. Valerie began her career as an artist in 1981. Having lived on the Queen Charlotte Islands since the early 1970’s, Val had the opportunity to apprentice under Bill Reid. Bill quickly took on the role of teacher and mentor,[…]
Read More »Philip Gray was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1983. Philip began carving in 1999 with artist Gerry Sheena. Since then, Philip has worked with artists Mike Dangeli, David Boxley, Henry Green, Lyle Campbell and Ian Reid. He also had the opportunity to study Advanced Design under acclaimed Haida artist,[…]
Read More »Victoria Harper was in born in Vancouver in 1979. Her artist career began in the 1990’s when she helped her father, Charles Harper, carve three large totem poles for his nation. They now stand at the Stoney Creek reserve. In 1999 she took a stone setting course and then began[…]
Read More »Born in Prince Rupert, BC in 1972, Jesse began his interest in Haida Art as a boy, influenced strongly by his Haida-Cree heritage and many art books. While accompanying his grandfather on fishing excursions to the islands of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), the mystical richness of the land unfolded[…]
Read More »Troy Bellerose was born into the Cree Nation in Picture Butte, Alberta in 1970. Although Troy is not of west coast heritage, he became fascinated with the art form after meeting a number of west coast First Nations artists. One of them was Andrew Morrison of the Nisga’a Nation. Andrew[…]
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