https://www.coastgallerysaltspring.com Coast Gallery Salt Spring Fri, 11 Apr 2025 21:21:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.coastgallerysaltspring.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-favicon-32x32.png https://www.coastgallerysaltspring.com 32 32 https://www.coastgallerysaltspring.com/artist/bill-henderson/ Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:31:55 +0000 https://www.coastgallerysaltspring.com/?post_type=artist&p=5596 Kwakwaka’wakw Master Carver Bill Henderson was born in 1950 and is a member of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation in Campbell River, BC. Bill is one of seventeen children born to the artist Sam Henderson and his wife, May Quocksister Henderson. Several of his siblings became artists, including his brothers Ernie, Dan, and Mark.  His father Sam … Continue reading "Bill Henderson"

The post Bill Henderson first appeared on .]]> Kwakwaka’wakw Master Carver Bill Henderson was born in 1950 and is a member of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation in Campbell River, BC. Bill is one of seventeen children born to the artist Sam Henderson and his wife, May Quocksister Henderson. Several of his siblings became artists, including his brothers Ernie, Dan, and Mark.  His father Sam was originally from Ba’as (Blunden Harbour), on the north coast, but after marrying May settled in Campbell River. Bill watched his father create carvings and other artworks from a young age and by the age of seven Bill had created his first piece, a small whale plaque for his first-grade teacher.

The post Bill Henderson first appeared on .]]> https://www.coastgallerysaltspring.com/artist/bob-mckay/ Tue, 04 May 2021 21:30:31 +0000 https://www.coastgallerysaltspring.com/?post_type=artist&p=4898 My adult life has been spent, almost compulsively, making things of wood. I’ve made theatre scenery, toys, cabinets, furniture, doors, windows, stairs, boat parts, houses, outhouses, greenhouses, doll houses, and so forth. But when I ‘discovered’ woodturning almost 30 years ago, I knew right away that I was home. Lathe-turning suits my criteria for a … Continue reading "Bob McKay"

The post Bob McKay first appeared on .]]> My adult life has been spent, almost compulsively, making things of wood. I’ve made theatre scenery, toys, cabinets, furniture, doors, windows, stairs, boat parts, houses, outhouses, greenhouses, doll houses, and so forth. But when I ‘discovered’ woodturning almost 30 years ago, I knew right away that I was home.
Lathe-turning suits my criteria for a “making” process perfectly. I like the scale of the work, the rapidity of wasting down to a rough form, and the delicacy of final shaping that is possible. I especially like visualizing possible pieces that make use of natural features in the wood. Cutting into a log is a little like prospecting for precious minerals — even though there are indications on the outside of what might lie within, it is always something of a surprise as I roll each fresh-cut block over the first time.
I spend a lot of time roaming freshly logged hillsides, probing the stumps for their hidden treasure, and it never ceases to amaze me how fast the wild plants create an impassable tangle in their eagerness to embrace the blessing of new sunshine. There is a sense of optimism in a forest, even in one that seems laid waste … a kind of innate faith in the resilience of the force of life, an unwavering commitment to the cycle of birth, life, death and renewal.
In this time of widespread starvation, armed conflict and severe environmental degradation, I feel there must be another level to what I am doing than just making beautiful objects. When it comes right down to it, what really counts is how we express our personal values from moment to moment. So I hope my work communicates an awe and reverence for natural processes, a sense of the connectedness of all life, and the uniquely human search for perfection.

The post Bob McKay first appeared on .]]>