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Showing posts from October 20, 2019

Vince Shaughnessy, b. 1959, Northwest Coast Kwakiutl Tribal Artist

Throughout history, man's imagination has populated the world with monstrous creations:  Satyrs, Cynocephali, Harpies, Centaurs, and today we look at Dzunukwa. Shaughnessy was born into Kwakwaka'wakw royalty. His grandfather, Arthur Shaughnessy was the Chief of Kingcome Inlet, a principle fjord of the British Columbia coast.  He started his art carving apprentice under the coaching and mentoring of noted carvers, Kelvin Hunt and Jonathan Livingston at the Arts of the Raven Shop. Cedar is plentiful along the northern Pacific Coast, and an excellent carving wood as it splits easily. Throughout his upbringing, he listened to the stories and myths of his people and developed the skills to portray these recited myths into Kwakiutl art, as in the cedar mask below. Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl), British Columbia, c. 1978 Ceder, under Black and Red/Orange Pigment, Horse Hair  Alert Bay, Canadian Government Tag Shaughnessy understood that Kwakiutl mythology is based on