The Whaler

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

Print with whale in profile on left with curved body on right, bird with serpentine wings, one upward pointing to left, the other horizontal; heads are facing, and upper wings touch. Black bodied whale has light green face with red-brown features; black oval pupil with four pointed star shape in eyelid lines; u shaped nostril; teeth bared. Pectoral fin melds with body on left. Dorsal fin is green wolf's head with extended tongue curled; tongue touches crest of bird; three u forms form crest above eye. Two red-brown crescents on either side of wolf's head next to whale's body. Black bird has large round pupil in pointed eyelid lines, green eye area; red-brown crest has rounded extension at right, green four pointed star at front, horizontal black oval with identical star shape at centre of crest. Upper wing has five red-brown u form feathers; lower wing has five black u forms. Profile human head at back of bird's head. To right of jaw, black hand with palm facing. Below image in pencil is '55/150/81 The Whaler Tim Paul'.