Gerry Marks is a Northwest Coast artist representing the Haida nation. Gerry Marks was born in 1949 and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. Marks works a printmaker and jewelry artist.
Marks attended the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art. The school is located in the historical village of Ksan at Hazelton.
The artist began to explore his heritage after seeing some works by his grandfather whose name was John Marks. John Marks was a highly respected metal smith and maker of fine jewelry.
Price range information: No pricing on prints. Jewelry ranges between $1,000 and $35,000 Canadian dollars.
Marks is part of many permanent museum collections across Canada including the Royal British Columbia Museum located in Victoria, British Columbia.
Carol Young Bagshaw is a Haida artist renown for her carving skills. Carol Young Bagshaw was born Carol Young in the year 1953.
The artist represents the Eagle Clan.
What I enjoy most about this artist is her statement ,” Art gives my life meaning and purpose.” What a great artistic statement!
The artist is attending the Freda Diesing School of NorthWest Coast Art located in Terrace, British Columbia. She has won awards for being a great mature artist. Someone older than the normal student who shows great promise in becoming a professional artist.
She is renown for her carvings of various sizes. In 2000 she began to carve small figures, bowls, and canoes. Now masks are her favorite subject matter. The artist has enjoyed a life long love of working with the figure.
She usually works on a few masks at a time.
An image of a traditional First Nations woman is being used by the country of Canada for use on a coin that can be purchased in silver or gold.
Carol Young Bagshaw is based out of Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
Price range information: Sorry none available.
Below a link to the website of Carol Young Bagshaw:
I am sure the name Freda Diesing is familiar if you visit this site often. Many First Nations artists have attended this wonderful institution.
Freda Diesing was also a fantastic Haida artist in her right born in Price Rupert, British Columbia in the year 1925 . Diesing attended the Vancouver School of Art and also the Gitanmasx School of Northwest Coast Indian Art. Whilst at Gitanmaax Diesing was able to learn from First Nations Master artists Tony Hunt and Robert Davidson.
Diesing worked as a carver of masks, bowls, and totem poles. The artist also produced prints.
Though a great artist in the 1960s, she flourished in the 1980s by being included in a touring art exhibition sponsored by the Royal British Columbia Museum.
In the Haida culture, her name translates to “magical little woman.”
Price range information: Sorry none available.
In 2006 Northwest Community College created the School of Northwest Coast art that bears her name. It is located in Terrence, British Columbia.
She began carving at 42 years of age.
Freda Diesing passed away in 2002.
In this clip some works by student’s at the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art. These artists will soon be responsible for carrying on the First Nations style of art:
Marcel Russ is a wonderful artist representing the Haida (Raven Clan). Marcel Russ was born in Queen Charlotte Islands in the year 1973. Other artists in his family include his father Ron Russ.
Russ works as a jewelry designer, sculptor of totem poles, and graphic designer, and printmaker.
The artist learned how to work with argillite from his father. He started working with this stone when he was 8 years old. He began to work with wood when he was 12 years of age.
The artist also has an uncle named Chris Russ who is also an artist. It runs in the family genes! Through out the Haida nation both sides of his families have been renowned for their work with argillite and wood carvings.
Price range information: Works range from $500 to $20,000.
In this clip a candid interview about giving back to your local community with Marcel Russ:
Rufus Moody was a great Haida artist who enjoyed depicting the various myths and legends of his culture. Moody worked in argillite stone most of time. Rufus Moody was renown for his sculptured totem poles.
Rufus Moody enjoyed working with argillite stone the best. He also loved to teach younger artisans how to carve in argillite. In 1950 with Claude Davidson the two artists began to teach other artists how to work in argillite.
The artist came from a family of respected artists his father named Arthur Moody. And his grandfather also a well respected carver named Thomas Moody.
Rufus Moody was born in 1923 in Skidgate Village, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada.
The artist is part of many collections including the National Gallery of Canada located in Ottawa, Canada. In addition he is part of the Royal British Columbia Museum.
Rufus Moody passed away in 1998.
Rufus belonged to the Tanu Wolf Clan.
Price range information: Sorry none available.
A great fact about the artist is that he carved the tallest argillite totem pole in existence at slightly larger than 6 feet in length. This piece is located at the Vancouver, British Columbia Museum of Anthropology.
Carol Young is a Northwest Coast artist from the Haida (Eagle Clan) born in the year 1953. A member of the Haida nations living out of British Columbia, Canada. The artist is renown for her portraiture work and she not has made more than 200 works out of clay, she also has done celebrity works such as Elvis and Willie Nelson.
In 2000 she began sculpting. She never had any formal training, she just did it! She enjoys using her characters as means of expressing the Haida culture and tradition.
price range information: Sorry none available.
For her artistic education attended the Freda Diesing School of Art. Whilst at the school she has been able to learn from masters of the her craft including the great carver Bob Dempsey.
Favorite item to carve are portrait masks.
A link to the website of Carol Young. Very cool and relaxing music here! Awesome site:
Christian White is a wonderful Northwest Coast artist from the Haida Tribe. Christian White was born in the year 1962 in Queen Charlotte City, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada. As with many Haida artists, he is good a variety of mediums including sculpting, printmaking, carving, and jewelry making.
price range information: sorry none available.
Translated his Haida name means Voice of Gold.
Started living off his art full time since the age of seventeen. Awesome!
At the old age of twenty one he sold a work to the Museum of Anthropology located in British Columbia. Very prestigious for someone so young.
His Great Great Grandfather was a master Haida artist named Charles Edenshaw. A master carver of totem poles, masks, and jewelry. Below an example of his grandfather’s work. Chief Charles Edenshaw lived from 1839 to around 1920.
In this clip we listen to the artist talk about the role art plays in his life:
Bill Reid is among the most famous Haida artists of all time. Bill Reid was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in the year 1920. His father was American and his mother a member of the Haida tribe. He learned to make jewelry from his grandfather, who had himself studied under a renown jewelry artist.
A brief biography about Bill Reid:
Bill Reid also attended the Ryerson Institute of Technology, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he also learned how to make jewelry. He began his art career making jewelry and then progressed to large works in traditional Haida materials including red and yellow cedar.
Bill Reid passed away in 1998 at the age of 78 years old from problems due to Parkinson’s disease.
Reid gifted a large donation to Simon Fraser College upon his death. In this clip we view some of the collection:
Has had his artwork featured on the $20 Canadian bill.
The artist has works in many prominent locations around the world including the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. and the Canadian National Museum in Ottawa, Canada.
Another brief interview with Bill Reid;
Bill Reid was also an activist of keeping people out of the rainforest.
Don Yeomans is a Canadian/ Northwest Cast born in the Rupert Island,British Columbia, Canada in the year 1958. Yeomans is diversified in his output, carving, making jewelry, and printimaking. For his artistic education Yeomans was able to learn a great deal from his artist aunt Freda Diesing. Yeomans also attended the Vancouver Community Arts Program and Langara College. Works in many mediums including wood, metal, and some designs sewn onto fabric by his wife.
price range information: The artist is very prolific so at the low end you can find jewelry or silkscreen prints for less than one thousand dollars up to paintings and larger carvings in the $20,000 range.
Yeomans is in the collection of the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology and the Royal British Columbia Museum.
Worked with renown carver Robert Davidson in helping carve 4 totem poles for a memorial.
In this clip a brief interview with the artist. Yeomans starts off by telling us he has been carving for more than 40 years. The totem pole was made for the McMichael Art Collection of Canada in Kleinberg, Canada just north of Toronto.
Reg also known as Robert Davidson is a member of the Haida tribe is a magnificent artist who makes sculpture, paints, and even creates jewelry. Reg Davidson was born in the year 1946 in Hydaburg, Alaska. The Haida tribe is located in British Columbia on the Northwest coast of Canada and Prince of Wales Island, Alaska.
Grew up in a small village named Messett where he has lived all of his life. The artist picked up sculpting from his grandfather and father whilst a young child. In this brief clip he talks about his involving his ancestry with his art.
One of the most celebrated artists in all of Canada and has received awards such as the Order of Canada and was even elected the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts.
And in this clip we hear from an art director about the work of Reg Davidson.
Among his favorite mediums is argillite. Argillite is a very soft rock that is formed from clay.
His graphic work and print work is a just as amazing as his masks! Though he is a very high caliber artist one can find works ranging from $1,000 to $125,000.
Another great artist website to visit, a link to Reg Davidson’s own website below:
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