Artist Information
Virginia Adams, Suquamish
A member of the Suquamish Tribe, Virginia Adams was born in September 1970 in Yuma, Arizona to Harvey Adams Jr. (Suquamish, Jamestown S'klallam) and Judith Adams and was raised in California while her father was in the Marine Corps. In 1985 she moved to the Port Madison Indian Reservation with her family when her father retired. She started learning how to weave in 1997 when she worked with Margaret Deam of Suquamish, making traditional cedar bark regalia. She furthered her weaving education by working with Bruce Miller of Skokomish during several years of weekend workshops to learn how to weave traditional clothing. As a member of the Suquamish Traditional Dance Group, she passed this knowledge on to the youth that were interested in learning. Her most recent accomplishments include a joint project with Noel Purser of Suquamish, for the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, a joint project with Betty Pasco of Suquamish for the Suquamish Clearwater Casino & Resort and a project for the Suquamish Foundation.
Joe Wilson
Joe Wilson is a talented young Coast Salish artist. Born and raised at Koksilah,
near Duncan on
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, he began his interest in art in
elementary school. He
began carving at seventeen, and was influenced by such talented artists as
Simon Charlie and Tim
Paul. A soft-spoken young man, his work speaks of confidence and strength and
he has developed a
unique and original style.
His colors too, are bold and unconventional, yet extremely appealing and rich. His work is not only authentic by native tradition, it is also an artistic communication link between cultures. Joe’s talent will continue to bring him the recognition that is reserved for outstanding artists.
Floyd Edwards
Floyd Edwards is a self taught Master Carver from the Cowichan tribe and resides
in Duncan on
Vancouver Island. Each carving is his own design and carved out of yellow cedar.
It takes an
estimated 3-4 hours for each carving from start to finish which is amazing
considering the detail and
flawlessness of each piece.
We have the privilege of dealing with Floyd and his family directly. He is a wonderful talent with a kind, gentle spirit. We look forward to expanding on his work and designs, including some bigger, more intricate pieces in the future.
Dats Del't'a (Adam John)
Please refer to our separate page for more information. Click on the link above.
Leonard Sylvester
was born on July 4th 1948. Carving since he was 17, Len was influenced by Norman John, a well known west coast carver, Simon Charlie, a famous coast Salish carver, and Chief Dan George. Len remembers that, when he was 17 and knowing nothing of carving, he visited Dan George at the Burrard reserve. Chief George sent him away with a knife and a seasoned piece of wood. Len returned with a carved Halibut, and a friendship ensued that endured to Dan George's death. Now, Len commits his time to his art and the teaching of it to his people of the Penelakut Band. His preferred wood to use is yellow cedar but has been known to use red cedar upon special requests. His specialties include disks and cedar boxes. Len has his work in England, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and the continental United States. He focuses on carving the indigenous animals of the Northwest coast in the style that he has developed from his contact with a wide variety of artists as well as his own personal creative perspective.
Kuper Island belongs to the Penelakut First Nations Tribe, and is located in the southern Gulf Islands chain in the Strait of Georgia, off the east coast of Vancouver Island. Kuper has a population of about 185 members of the Penelakut Band. The Penelakut are part of the Coast Salish (Salishan) linguistic group, and share in that extensive cultural heritage.
Andy Everson
"I was born in Comox, British Columbia in 1972 and named after my grandfather, Chief Andy Frank. My cultural interests lay with both my Comox and Kwakwaka'wakw ancestries and are expressed through dancing, singing and even the completion of my Master's degree in anthropology. I feel that my artwork stands on par with these other accomplishments. Although I began drawing Northwest Coast art at an early age, my first serious attempt wasn't until 1990 when I started designing and painting chilkat-style blankets for use in potlatch dancing. From these early self-taught lessons, I have tried to follow in the footsteps of my Hunt relatives in creating bold and unique representations that remain rooted in the age-old traditions of my ancestors."