Karmic Frog & Raven Mask
Availability: Only 1 available
by Don Yeomans
Alder wood, Acrylic paint
“Frogs have appeared in my work for many years, portrayed as secondary characters accompanying Ravens and Eagles and Bears. Many times, Frogs are depicted in the mouths of the larger character.
In this mask, I again portray a Frog, only this time, he is not the helpless victim of a larger predator. Raven is in fact the meal of choice for this Frog, as I make up for decades of representing the Frog as a secondary figure.” – Don Yeomans
13 x 10.5 x 5" (33.02 x 26.67 x 12.7cm)
CA$24,000.00
Only 1 available
- Description
- Additional Information
- Artist Bio
Alder wood, Acrylic paint
“Frogs have appeared in my work for many years, portrayed as secondary characters accompanying Ravens and Eagles and Bears. Many times, Frogs are depicted in the mouths of the larger character.
In this mask, I again portray a Frog, only this time, he is not the helpless victim of a larger predator. Raven is in fact the meal of choice for this Frog, as I make up for decades of representing the Frog as a secondary figure.” – Don Yeomans
-
Sea Eagle Mask
Tom D. Hunt
CA$8,500.00Red Cedar wood, Cedar bark, Acrylic paint
31 x 29 x 13.5″ (including base)
Currently on display at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel
-
Ancestor Stylized Mask
Joe David
CA$9,000.00Red Cedar Wood, Acrylic Paint, Cedar Bark
13 x 8.25 x 9″ (including bark)
-
Welcome Figure Mask
Joe David
CA$6,000.00Red Cedar wood, Human hair, Acrylic paint
This Welcome Figure portrait mask, based on a Nuu chah nulth mask from the 1850’s, would be danced during a ceremonial welcome song which belongs to the David family of the Tla-O-Qui-Aht clan. Smoked elk hide has been rigged to the back of the piece to hold it securely in place when being danced.
-
Leaping Killerwhale Talking Stick
Don Yeomans
SOLDYellow Cedar wood
76 x 5.25 x 10.25 (talking stick only)
78.25 x 8 x 10.25 (including base)
“A talking stick is literally a miniature totem pole. Like a totem pole, the figures that adorn them are crests and stories that belong to a particular chief. In essence, the stick symbolizes the owner’s bloodline. When I do a talking stick, the characters I choose are not to define who owns it. My job is just to make an interesting sculptural piece. From top to bottom, the pole figures [on this piece] are Beaver and Frog, Raven and Frog, and, lastly, Bear and Human. The very top features a leaping Killerwhale.
Ironically, the last job I did for Bill Reid was the talking stick for the ‘Spirit of Haida Gwaii.’ My design, which included a leaping Killerwhale, was scrapped for copying an existing carving in the Smithsonian, a walking stick. ‘No time to get fancy,’ said Bill. So, I made his copy to meet the deadline, after which Bill decided that maybe we had time now to put my whale on top. Needless to say, I declined to do the job and saved my whale for my own talking stick.” – Don Yeomans
-
Red Killerwhale Panel
Don Yeomans
CA$16,000.00Red Cedar wood, Acrylic paint
“In 1978, I did my first silkscreen print design. It was a red formlined transforming Raven. The people I showed it to said it was not traditional, as most designs have black formline and red fillers. Out of fear, I did a traditional Dogfish and released it together with my so-called radical red Raven.
To this day, red formlines make me a little nervous – but with this Killerwhale being one of my first uses of undulating formline, I needed to be bold. People believe confidence is the absence of fear when it comes to being accepted. In my experience, the fear never leaves, you just keep your nerves to yourself. Maybe that’s why it’s called ‘self-confidence’.” – Don Yeomans
-
Raven & UFO Panel
Don Yeomans
CA$20,000.00Yellow Cedar wood
“This panel [has] two purposes. The first is an idea that the mention of extraterrestrials influencing our past, while a popular notion, is extremely controversial. In many cultures, ‘their’ mere existence is a challenge to a religious narrative of Man’s creation. Naturally, I wondered if, in the case of Haida, did Raven really find humans living in a giant clamshell?
The second purpose of this panel lies in the raw or rough appearance of the wood carving. Some of my favourite carvings from older times are crudely carved. The message and power endowed within these pieces can felt despite their less polished appearance.” – Don Yeomans
-
Killerwhale & Octopus Panel
Don Yeomans
SOLDYellow Cedar wood
“I love carving Octopus. The fluid, long tentacles and suckers make it detailed and challenging. In this panel, my mind went back to childhood when I was totally curious about what was ‘bigger and stronger’. Could this animal win a fight with that animal? The books I read about the Giant Octopus and a story my dad once told me about a crew member who almost got taken by a large octopus that was blown on deck when they were fishing halibut in the Bering Sea. My Giant Octopus is taking on a Killerwhale in this panel – who wins? I no longer care. It is the struggle that captivates my imagination.
When I released a resin cast edition of this piece, a collector told me it was too violent. I said, ‘No, it’s not!’, and I punched him (just kidding!). Violence is what people do. Animals merely survive.” – Don Yeomans