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Sampson, Wilfred

Wilfred Sampson was born in 1957, in Hazelton, British Columbia. Wilfred is from the Gitksan Nation, which inhabits the northern coast of British Columbia. Wilfred has been designing and carving northwest coast art since 1981. He was initially self taught, looking through books and observing other artist’s works. Motivated by[…]

Scow, Ray

Ray Scow was born in the village of Alert Bay, British Columbia in 1965. He is one of seven brothers. Ray’s grandfather was a chief, and as a result, Ray grew up with a strong sense of the culture and traditions of his heritage. Ray has worked alongside one of[…]

Scow, Rupert

Rupert Scow was born in Alert Bay, British Columbia in 1957. He comes from a long line of carvers and grew up with a strong sense of cultural and traditional art. His great grandfather was Chief John Scow and his great grandfather on his mother’s side was acclaimed artist Mungo[…]

Shepherd, Dorothy

Dorothy Shepherd was born October 5th, 1945 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. She was born into the Nuu-cha-nulth Nation who inhabit the southern region of Vancouver Island. Dorothy takes the Killerwhale, known as a powerful and skilled underwater hunter, as her family crest symbol. Dorothy is one of the few[…]

Shorty, Richard

Richard Shorty was born in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, in September of 1959. Richard began drawing wildlife at the age of six. He moved to Vancouver in 1978 and began his career as a commercial artist in 1980, doing wildlife portraits. Although these were spectacularly accomplished, Richard’s work remained relatively unknown[…]

Simeon, Jay

Jay Simeon was born in Fort McLeod, Alberta in 1976. He is a member of the Eagle clan of the Haida Nation. Jay began his artistic training at the age of fourteen, under the guidance of his aunt, Sharon Hitchcock. After being introduced to Andrew Williams, an argillite carver, he[…]

Smith, Rod

Rod Smith (Galuyagmi “Great First Birth”) was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1966 and now resides in Qualicum Beach, BC. Rod is an artist who discovered his love of art and learned his craft under the the watchful eye of his father, the late Kwakwaka’wakw artist Harris Smith (Lalkawilas).[…]

Smith, Russell

Russell Smith was born March 19, 1950 in Alert Bay, British Columbia. At the Northeast Coast of Vancouver Island, Alert Bay is part of the Kwakwaka’wakw territory that reaches the adjacent mainland and covers the many Islands inbetween. The Kwakwaka’wakw – "speakers of Kwakwala" – or Kwakiutl Nations, are the[…]

Smith, Steve

Steve Smith was born in the Kwagiulth Nation of Campbell River, British Columbia in 1968. At the age of 20 his father Harris Smith-Lalkawilas introduced Steve to carving and painting. After his lengthy apprenticeship, Steve branched out on his own and has since developed his own innovation and distinctive style[…]

Spence, John

John Spence was born in North Vancouver, BC in 1970. He is a member of the Squamish Nation and from the Killer Whale clan. John is a grandson of the late Chief Simon Baker (Khot-la-cha). John is a talented wood carver who has worked and learned under the watchful eyes[…]

Starr, Brad

Brad Starr is a Haisla carver born in Kitimat, British Columbia in 1957. In 1995, while working in the construction industry, Brad was presented with a set of carving tools by his brother. Inspired by art created by his uncle Sam Robinson and his grandfather Solomon Mackay, Brad began to[…]

Starr, Terry

Terry Starr was born in Prince Rupert in 1952 and belongs to the Eagle clan of the Tsimshian Nation. He purchased his first set of carving knives in 1982, and although he had no formal training, he did receive guidance from Richard Hunt and Tim Paul at the B.C. Provincial[…]

Stokes, George

George Stokes was born in Vancouver in 1969. He began carving at the age of fifteen and within a year was assisting Bill Reid and Don Yeomans with an eighteen foot totem pole for Kitsilano Secondary School. The totem now stands in the school auditorium. George enjoys carving in yellow[…]

Sutherland, Morris

Morris Sutherland (Moy) is from Ahousaht, on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. He is of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation. His native name is Hiish-Miik, which translates as “someone who gets whatever they are after”. As a young man he worked in the forests of British Columbia where he always found[…]

Swanson, Ernest

Ernest Swanson was born in King County, Washington in 1981 and grew up on Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) in British Columbia. He is a matrilineal descendent of Charles Edenshaw, and grandson to the late Rufus Moody. In addition to completing two design courses with Robert Davidson, Ernest has[…]