Raven Capturing the Moon

Northwest Coast serigraphs are a contemporary art form, deriving from early 20th century drawings of traditional crest and decorative designs, commissioned by anthropologists and undertaken by artists such as Charles Edenshaw. Residential schools reinforced the medium, while discouraging the use of traditional themes. An important series of traditional designs in coloured pencil and watercolour were done by Mungo Martin for UBC in 1949-50. The 1960's saw the rapid growth of prints, first in unlimited poster editions, and later with the establishment of the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art at 'Ksan (1967), and of the Northwest Coast Indian Artists Guild (1977), limited edition art runs became the standard. Northwest Coast silkscreen prints are part of the mainstream art market, as well as, functioning within the native context as potlatch gifts, and commemorative prints. Although, there are distinctive regional styles, individual artists may work in several styles, or apply unique themes and variations to specific works.

contemporary art

Stylized image of a bird above a circle in form lines, ovoids, u's etc. in black with variously coloured details. The bird has outstretched wings to either side, a profile head facing to the left side, and splayed legs on either side of segmented tail. Long, open beak with a tongue at the centre. Tongue has a central ovoid. Split-u protrudes from the lower beak. Two segment crest on top of the head. Eye is surrounded with a green area. Four-feathered wings on either side of the oval body. Three outer wing feathers are a series of u forms and split u's with an ovoid in a central brown section while the inner feather is short and ending at the bent legs. Body is a series of overlapping u forms with vertical green lines. Legs end in three clawed feet. Red ovoids in black at the joints. Circle below bird has a central round frontal face with mirrored symmetrical, elongated wolf-like images on either side following the circle on very light white-brown background. Outer circle has four ovoids with an orange inner circle, surrounded by green, and the outer being black with circles at the corners. Details for face and wolves include green ovoids and smaller red ones. Orange surrounds eyes on the central face. Pencil inscription across the bottom reads 'Mark Henderson 89/200 "Raven capturing moon" 79'. There is an embossed rectangular stamp at the lower right which reads 'Open Pacific Graphics'. The print is on a vertically rectangular, white paper stock.