News

Robert Davidson Sea Ghost

Robert Davidson prints Sea Snag Supernatural Snag tcamaos Ttsaamus

Robert Davidson is now known for his modern, abstracted creations based on traditional Haida forms and myths. However, like most artists, he began his career learning the basics and building a body of knowledge. This print, Sea  Ghost, can be viewed as a transitional piece because it depicts a distinguishable figure but the mode of representation is minimalistic and modern. Robert hand-wrote a note on this print which reads "Sea Ghost is a mythological beast - we're mythological beings searching for self." Sea Ghost is not commonly depicted in Haida art, but it has some association with Sea Snag, or Tts'aamus....

Read more →


New Maynard Johnny Jr Pieces

coast salish design coast salish prints coast salish salmon four host nations salish prints

There are few Coast Salish printmakers working with traditional Coast Salish forms and shapes. In the Northwest Coast art market, there is a high demand for artworks based on formline design, as seen in the art within British Columbia's northern First Nations cultures. This demand can encourage artists from southern BC and Washington State to adopt a formline, formalised mode of production, even though Salish and Makah design is often fluid and abstracted. In general, Indigenous groups from the south of British Columbia and Washington State did not create totem poles and were not as strictly bound to crest-based social...

Read more →


Haida Artist Francis Williams

Francis Williams had the most distinctive style: fine lines and flowing designs, punctuated by sharp shapes and sharp angles. His jewelry, prints, and carvings are all very easy to identify due to this unique style. He was one of the few Northwest Coast First Nations artists to record and document every design he created, and the University of British Columbia purchased all of his files upon his death in 2003. He was, and still is, an influential figure when considering modern Haida formline design.   The above print was one of Francis' first, and it exemplifies his penchant for playful...

Read more →


Dempsey Bob's Raven and Sculpin

dempsey bob dempsey bob print native art prints native prints tahltan myth tlingit sculpin

Native Art Prints recently acquired a rare print by acclaimed Tahltan/Tlingit artist Dempsey Bob. This print is titled Raven Traveling with Sculpin, and it depicts a Tlingit myth: During Raven's travels, he decided to take rest and camp on the wild shores of the Northwest Coast. While camping he saw a large sculpin trying to get ashore at the tidal line in front of him and he said to it "My uncle's son, come ashore here. Come way up. One time, when you and I were going along in our uncle's canoe we fell into the water. So come up...

Read more →


Art Thompson Seafood Series

Art Thompson barnacle Art Thompson canoe Art Thompson dancer print Art Thompson native prints Art Thompson octopus native haida prints vintage native prints

In 1977, Nuu-chah-nulth artist Art Thompson created a series of prints based on sea creatures that both solidified his status as one of the top Indigenous artists in Canada and ushered in an era of modern Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) design. Colloquially referred to as The Seafood Series, these five prints depicted sea creatures in a playful and unconventional manner. While they display the angularity and forms (such as the star, s-shape, and ovoid) found within traditional Nuu-chah-nulth artwork, they are asymmetrical and animated.  Many of the prints that Art created in his short life were based on historical Nuu-chah-nulth formline design...

Read more →