Nawakala (Old Man) Mask
Availability: Only 1 available
by Lyle Wilson
Red Cedar wood, Acrylic paint
This NAWAKALA (old man) GEE-GA-MEE (mask) is carved from a piece of DIN-YAS (red cedar) that was brought down all the way from C’IMOTSA (KITAMAAT) to Vancouver.
NUGWA (I/me) knew it was destined to be a GEE-GA-MEE but it was awhile before finally getting around to carving it.
NUGWA didn’t know exactly what to carve so NUGWA took the piece of wood and thought about C’IMOTSA and some of the GUKALUT (fellow HAISLA people) that NUGWA knew while growing up there.
Some of the most memorable — and true — advice given to NUGWA was from some of the older folks. Their advice wasn’t always taken, but reflecting on it, later, the advice given was generally AIX (good).
Perhaps if their advice was taken more seriously, a great deal of my mistakes wouldn’t have happened.
When this GEE-GA-MEE was 85 percent finished, NUGWA wanted to add a few other things to it — it’s hard to explain but it somehow felt “incomplete”. So NUGWA put it away and over a decade later, NUGWA took another look at it.
Such a long wait is not that unusual in my art practice; in this case it was entirely the right thing to do as sometimes “less is more”.
The added details that NUGWA envisioned earlier now seemed obviously unnecessary, and would’ve detracted from the feeling of the NAWAKALA GEE-GA-MEE.
This GEE-GA-MEE celebrates some of those elder GUKALUT and tries to portray their subtle serenity — some had this knowing, enigmatic smile and their wrinkles only added to their look of wisdom and long-life experience.
Lyle Wilson 2024
12 x 8.25 x 6" (30.48 x 20.96 x 15.24cm)
CA$6,500.00
Only 1 available
Reserve this artwork- Description
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Red Cedar wood, Acrylic paint
This NAWAKALA (old man) GEE-GA-MEE (mask) is carved from a piece of DIN-YAS (red cedar) that was brought down all the way from C’IMOTSA (KITAMAAT) to Vancouver.
NUGWA (I/me) knew it was destined to be a GEE-GA-MEE but it was awhile before finally getting around to carving it.
NUGWA didn’t know exactly what to carve so NUGWA took the piece of wood and thought about C’IMOTSA and some of the GUKALUT (fellow HAISLA people) that NUGWA knew while growing up there.
Some of the most memorable — and true — advice given to NUGWA was from some of the older folks. Their advice wasn’t always taken, but reflecting on it, later, the advice given was generally AIX (good).
Perhaps if their advice was taken more seriously, a great deal of my mistakes wouldn’t have happened.
When this GEE-GA-MEE was 85 percent finished, NUGWA wanted to add a few other things to it — it’s hard to explain but it somehow felt “incomplete”. So NUGWA put it away and over a decade later, NUGWA took another look at it.
Such a long wait is not that unusual in my art practice; in this case it was entirely the right thing to do as sometimes “less is more”.
The added details that NUGWA envisioned earlier now seemed obviously unnecessary, and would’ve detracted from the feeling of the NAWAKALA GEE-GA-MEE.
This GEE-GA-MEE celebrates some of those elder GUKALUT and tries to portray their subtle serenity — some had this knowing, enigmatic smile and their wrinkles only added to their look of wisdom and long-life experience.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Shaman Transformation Mask
Moy Sutherland
CA$11,000.00Alder wood, Cedar bark, Horse Hair, Abalone shell, Acrylic paint
Articulated
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Eagle Pendant
Lyle Wilson
CA$2,100.00Yew wood, Sterling silver
As part of this exhibit NUGWA (I/me) decided to carve small, off-cut pieces of wood into a series of jewelry, because the medium of wood, itself, has an inherent beauty!
The HAISLA word for a pendant is NEE-CHA-WA — and the series of NEE-CHA-WA are carved at a fine jewelry-scale because NUGWA love wood and don’t want to throw away even small pieces of them. NUGWA first started in the jewelry field so when NUGWA got into carving wood, applying jewelry skills to such small pieces of wood was a “natural” progression.
This NEE-CHA-WA is an IKSDUQ’IYA (Eagle).
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Woodworm Staff
Lyle Wilson
CA$4,900.00Yellow Cedar wood, Abalone Shell
with Granite Base47 x 1.75 x 1.75″
47 x 8 x 8″ (including base)From a previous job NUGWA (I/me) had two skinny, off-cuts of KWANALAS (yellow cedar) — one long and one short. Both pieces kind of straddled the border of “usable wood” and NUGWA vacillated on whether to keep, or throw them away. Unable to make my mind up right away, NUGWA put them aside.
NUGWA had no specific plans for them, but when NUGWA finally looked at them again, their dimensions were suggestive of a club and cane.
Both pieces also included some of the white-coloured sap-wood — that’s the part prone to rot and other damage, so most carvers don’t tend to use wood that includes sap-wood.
In carvings that are meant for outdoors the inclusion of sap-wood is a legitimate concern, but in today’s world, it’s not as big an issue because most contemporary carvings are destined for the indoors, or another protected environment.
With the longer piece, NUGWA decided to carve a more sculptural piece; starting with a smaller woodworm on top, adding a human CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA (skull), and decorating the length of the staff with a rope motif.
NUGWA am pleased with how things came naturally together — in particular, the CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA really adds a powerful presence and seemed appropriate to a shamanistic theme.
Lyle Wilson 2024