When were you on the Saanich Fire Department?
I was hired on to the Saanich Fire Department in 1966 and left for a career in art in 1973.
BC Fish Farming
Fish farming in open cages is a very harmful practice it breeds sea lice, which kill wild salmon, it breeds disease, and the chemicals used to kill sea lice kill every other crustacean in close proximity. Foreign fish like Atlantic salmon do not belong in B.C.
Inspirations
My early inspiration comes from, Emily Carr and the Group of Seven as well as Charles Edenshaw, Mungo Martin, Henry Hunt, and Bill Reid. William West, my teacher at Oak Bay Senior High was a great inspiration. Jimmy Nelson, a gifted woodworker from Kitkatla was perhaps my earliest mentor.
Asian Inspirations
Hokusai and Hiroshige are two of my greatest heroes and mentors, they were Japanese woodblock printers who communicated their love of their country and it's people in all they did.
Racism
We all have the same heavenly father and earthly mother, we are one race, we are one family. The very word racism is an ignorant and misleading one.
Inspiration and Spirituality
We are all spiritual beings some of us just have not come to the realization. Creativity is a spiritual word. Inspiration is the breath of the Creator inspiriting us. This awareness affects all I do because life is a gift we should be thankful for. When we acknowledge the Creator of all we come from a place of humility in all we do which keeps us closer to our spirituality.
Be your best!
To do the best that you can do you simply give everything you do all the energy you can and be honest with yourself, then you know it's your best.
What is the biggest achievement in your life that you celebrate everyday?
My biggest achievement in life that is celebrated everyday is the desire and action to learn and grow in sobriety by the conquering of an addiction; this keeps me humble and thankful. Today is a gift, the present.
Mentors in your life
I have many mentors from a variety of walks of life, trappers, fishermen, gardeners, teachers, speakers, bothers, sisters, my wife, and children.
Biggest Artist Achievement
My biggest artistic achievement is my life.
Where do you pull your inspiration from to create images?
My inspiration to create comes from experiences with people, love of creation, coupled with my spiritual journey.
Silk Screen Prints
The serigraph is the method of image production, which suits my style of drawing and painting. Layers upon layers.
Tofino, British Columbia<
Tofino is the place where I reconnected with the sea in a powerful way, which brought me back to the awe and wonder of a child. As Bob Dylan said, "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now." It's this awe that every artist needs to emote and all successful communication comes from the heart.
Traditional Eagle Crest in the sun and moon
The traditional crests in the sun and moon are a part of my heritage and culture that originates with First Nations people of the northwest.
Quote on the book “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz
Don Miguel Ruiz and "The Four Agreements" have been a very large part of my healing journey. I have found Ruiz' work to be most enlightening for me during the past nine years of my journey. I would recommend his work to anyone seeking out help on this wonderful journey of healing which heightens self-awareness and brings inner peace.
What inspired you to create images of color?
There was a time in my life when I only created works from my First Nations ancestry. The major colors are black and red with yellow, blue/green and cobalt blue used in some applications. I eventually came to a place where I wanted to communicate from my uniqueness as a First Nations Canadian with English ancestry. With the desire to be more contemporary came the knowledge that I need to move to more color. The day I wanted to attempt painting a sunset was the day I took on the greatest challenge of my artistic career. I knew that I was partially color blind to all hues of color and so the desire to paint a sunset was most frightening. After studying hundreds of slides of sunsets I came upon the idea to paint Westcoast Sunset with a canoe silhouetted against a summer sunset. The result was a success and I have gone with my inspiration from that day to this.
Eagle Aerie Gallery in Tofino, British Columbia
When I first wanted to build my own gallery there was no doubt that it would be modeled after a northwest coast longhouse. There were many people who helped bring the gallery into existence yet it remains today to be greater than the sum of it's parts. A place of spirit, a place of peace, and a source of inspiration to me.
Roy Henry Vickers Gallery in Sidney, British Columbia
The Roy Henry Vickers Gallery in Sidney, B.C. was a great opportunity for us at Eagle Dancer Enterprises Ltd. We wanted to have a place with more of the type of lighting that the average person would have in their home. The Eagle Aerie in Tofino has no exterior source of light and so the lighting is dramatic in the gallery making the art appear to be backlit. In Sidney we have reflections from light coming in windows and yet have a dramatic presentation. It is a good place for people to go who don't make it to Tofino.
The passing of Tofino carver Henry Nolla
I have heard it said that there are few people who can count close friends on more than one hand. I am blessed to have a small number of friends who accept me with all my shortcomings. The late Henry Nolla was not only one of these special friends; he was also a good student and a good teacher. Henry thought the difficult we could do right away and the impossible might take a week. Henry was the hardest working man I have known, he walked with a great dignity, humility, and peace. He taught me that if you do your best it matters little what others think.
