Sterling silver, Cast
Northwest Coast Kwakwaka’wakw art is renowned for its flamboyant, energetic, and colorful carving and painting. Among the best-known practitioners was Doug Cranmer, whose style was understated, elegant, fresh, and unique and whose work quickly found an international following in the 1960s. Named K’esu’, or Wealth Being Carved, as a child, he was an early player in the global, commercial art market and one of the first Native artists in British Columbia to own his own gallery. A long-time teacher, he inspired generations of young Native artists in Alert Bay and beyond.
This beautifully illustrated book is a record of the art, life, and influence of a man who called himself a “whittler” or “doodler” but who embodied “indigenous modern” well before the term had been coined. He pioneered abstract and non-figurative paintings using Northwest Coast ovoids and U-shapes; embraced the practice of silk-screening on wood, paper, and burlap; and adapted power tools to new applications in art. Skillfully weaving recollections from his friends and family, facts about his life and examples of his stunning artwork, K’esu’ is a wide-ranging celebration of Doug Cranmer and his profound influence on Kwakwaka’wakw art.
Published in 2012
Paperback
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Yew wood, Mother of Pearl
2.5 x 2 x 1″
Porcelain, Engraved with Interior Glaze
On Patrick Leach’s pottery, the final touches are carefully hand-carved landscapes, geometric designs, and scenes borrowed from ancient rock paintings called pictographs. These designs are either replicas of, or inspired by, the red ochre pictographs found in Stein Valley near Leach’s childhood home. Leach frequently employs contrasting bands of red ochre glaze to represent earth, blue for sky, yellow for sunrise or orange for sunset.
14K Yellow Gold, Engraved
Domed
2.25mm Sapphire
Width: 3/8″
Size: 7.25