Wood Carvings Not To Miss

[pallin]

From time to time I have shared photos of carvings that are truly exceptional - like the altar piece of the cathedral in Seville, Spain (largest woodcarving in the world). Here is another that you should not miss if you are traveling in British Columbia:

This is titled "The Raven and First Men" depicting the legendary raven responsible for creation including humans in the Haida "First Nations" culture. This carving by Bill Reid is about 2 meters high and 2 meters wide, of Nootka Yellow Cedar (laminated of 144 pieces). It is the featured carving at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Raven and First Men.jpg

[pallin]

Here is a link to that other thread about the "largest carving

Sorry, link doesn't work.

[Brian T]

Bill Reid's original carving, the whole thing, is no bigger than a grapefruit. It's in a wall cabinet straight behind the big one. The big one is entirely textured with scalloped cuts no more than a few hundredths of an inch deep. Late in the day, the sun is just right and you can see it.

The Raven and the First Men: From Conception to Completion - Museum of Anthropology at UBC

[Glenn Jennings]

An amazing piece of work an one massive undertaking!!!!.

[DiLeon]

What is more amazing was, when Bill became afflicted with Parkinson’s disease, he began working on a monumental scale, creating sculptures in wood and bronze with studio assistants. Shows you that you can beat the body movements and create something anyway. In 1975, Bill Reid was diagnosed as having Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a chronic degenerative movement disorder generally associated with a rocking or trembling of the body. The “resting tremor”, although the most well known, is perhaps the least troublesome of the many debilitating symptoms of PD. Other symptoms of “rigidity”, Bradykinesia and “loss of postural reflexes and balance”, coupled with drug side effects, make Parkinson’s Disease a constant balancing act between the symptoms of the disease, the medication to alleviate the symptoms and the side effects of the medication. Three years later he started this huge carving. 30 years later he died from Parkinson. It shows you clearly the will of mind vs the body you can still create your visions.

Bill Reid is a survivor and where is will there is a way. If I remember right he created over 15 hundred sculptures.

Another scale version of the sculpture made in onyx exists and both carvings are held in the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. A miniature cast in gold was later auctioned off in 2005 for over $100,000.^[

Carving started in the fall of 1978, the initial roughing out was done with the assistance of Gidansda Guujaaw and George A. Norris. The men within the clamshell were carved by George Rammell and the final tool finishing was done by Reg Davidson and Jim Hart.