Origins/Coalition Panel
Availability: Only 1 available
by Lyle Wilson
Red Cedar wood, Acrylic paint
This painting is my theory of the evolution of the Pacific Northwest Coast (PNC) OVOID. In 1874 a native informant told James G. Swan that the eyespots on the wings of a young BAGWANA (skate fish) is the original source of the OVOID. However, its eyespots are a solid circle with a fine line surrounding them.
So from that circular format the OVOID must have evolved into a more elongated and rectangular shape. The HULL-CHEY-NAUCH (orca) has solid white eyespots; some of which do resemble the elongated shape of an OVOID.
So to imply that connection, the BAGWANA’s tail is close to the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH’s blowhole.
The perimeter of an eye socket of a human CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA (human skull) has a squarish, elongated shape that is very close to the shape of a archaic OVOID. In the olden days dead people were put in a GUH-YO-JEELTH (bentwood box). These GUH-YO-JEELTH were then put up in a tree. Eventually it rotted away and everything fell to the ground — leaving the skeleton exposed, including the CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA.
So a GUH-YO-JEELTH with a painted CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA is beside the BAGWANA. On the GUH-YO-JEELTH’s lid is a series of OVOIDS showing the progression: circular, archaic and the classic OVOID. The classic OVOID has a upward bending bottom which differs from the flatter bottom of the archaic OVOID.
It required a human mind to put all these influences together, so on the bottom, below the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH, is a human hand — representing that long-ago PNC artist who first put everything together; allowing a long lineage of artists to follow the PNC art style.
Lyle Wilson 2024
36 x 21 x 1.5" (91.44 x 53.34 x 3.81cm)
CA$9,500.00
Only 1 available
Reserve this artwork- Description
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Red Cedar wood, Acrylic paint
This painting is my theory of the evolution of the Pacific Northwest Coast (PNC) OVOID. In 1874 a native informant told James G. Swan that the eyespots on the wings of a young BAGWANA (skate fish) is the original source of the OVOID. However, its eyespots are a solid circle with a fine line surrounding them.
So from that circular format the OVOID must have evolved into a more elongated and rectangular shape. The HULL-CHEY-NAUCH (orca) has solid white eyespots; some of which do resemble the elongated shape of an OVOID.
So to imply that connection, the BAGWANA’s tail is close to the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH’s blowhole.
The perimeter of an eye socket of a human CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA (human skull) has a squarish, elongated shape that is very close to the shape of a archaic OVOID. In the olden days dead people were put in a GUH-YO-JEELTH (bentwood box). These GUH-YO-JEELTH were then put up in a tree. Eventually it rotted away and everything fell to the ground — leaving the skeleton exposed, including the CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA.
So a GUH-YO-JEELTH with a painted CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA is beside the BAGWANA. On the GUH-YO-JEELTH’s lid is a series of OVOIDS showing the progression: circular, archaic and the classic OVOID. The classic OVOID has a upward bending bottom which differs from the flatter bottom of the archaic OVOID.
It required a human mind to put all these influences together, so on the bottom, below the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH, is a human hand — representing that long-ago PNC artist who first put everything together; allowing a long lineage of artists to follow the PNC art style.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Watchmen with Raven, Seabear, Killerwhale, Humans & Octopus | Tusk Sculpture
Gary Olver
CA$12,000.00Walrus Tusk (Ivory), Abalone Shell
For more details on shipping Ivory outside of Canada, please click here and then click open the Shipping section and scroll down to read more on Shipping Restrictions.
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Ceremonial Talking Stick
Dr. Richard Hunt RCA
Price upon requestRed Cedar wood, Abalone shell (over 150 individual inlaid pieces), Acrylic paint
More images available upon request.
69 x 12 x 11″ (including base)
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Beaver & Eagle Fish Bowl
Derek J. White
CA$8,000.00Sterling Silver; Repousse, Engraved
Derek White’s extraordinary Beaver & Eagle Fish Bowl, created in the traditional Haida form and utilizing the ancient technique of repousse to add dimension, demonstrates his articulate master carving and artistry skills. Containers such as bowls were traditionally created out of Cedar or Alder wood and utilized in daily life. The chosen medium of silver serves as a contemporary progression of this ancient art form while illustrating the intricate foundational links which combine cultural heritage with the arts.
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Basket Pendant
Lyle Wilson
SOLDYew 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 a NA-NA-GWA-BA (berry basket) — when younger, NUGWANIS (we) used them picking berries.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Whale Soapberry Spoon
Lyle Wilson
CA$1,100.00Yew wood
NUGWA (I/me) consider GLUMC (yew wood) a special, and relatively rare wood, NUGWA kept many off-cuts and other scrap pieces — it’s recognizing our overall need to conserve natural resources. So NUGWA resolved to use, as much as possible, even small pieces of GLUMC so the original tree wasn’t wasted. This piece was an off-cut from a larger GLUMC carving (the growth rings indicated the original tree was approximately 350 yrs old.).
USS is a traditional dessert made from a berry that is beaten into a pinkish, foamy (hence the translation to “soapberry”) dessert and a paddle-like KA-JA-NAUCH (spoon) was used to eat it. USS was considered a true delicacy in the olden days and served on special occasions like potlatches and feasts — it’s still traded and eaten today.
Normally most Pacific Northwest Coast carvers don’t use GLUMC because it’s a very tough, wild-grained, and relatively rare wood; as well it usually has many knots and other “flaws”. Such characteristic ensured that even in the olden days, it wasn’t used as extensively as other woods.
However given that the goal was to use even scrap pieces of GLUMC, and both SAWGUM and USS being special foods, NUGWA combined these factors with jewelry techniques and carved this traditional USS KA-JA-NAUCH.
This USS KA-JA-NAUCH is carved with a GWEE-YEM (whale) — NUGWA saw quite a number of them and they are very impressive animals. When carving this USS KA-JA-NAUCH, NUGWA took pains to incorporate the knots and the empty knothole into the overall aesthetic.
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