Norman Bentley

Born 1969, Skidegate, Haida Gwaii

Norman Bentley is a Haida artist who has developed a unique approach to Northwest Coast native jewellery design. In 1983 Bently began making Northwest Coast art out of precious and semi-precious metals.  In 1988 he was accepted as an apprentice by world-renowned European jeweller, Tony Cavelti.  As a result of this experience, he has developed outstanding skills in both craftsmanship and design.

Bentley worked with master Haida artist Bill Reid and completed an apprenticeship with him in the early 1990s. Reid encouraged Bentley and contributed to his practice as an artist. Using cut-outs as his negative space he makes delicately carved pieces that are indicative of his talent. Bentley continues to experiment using combinations of metals, oxidization, and overlays, to get create different effects for each piece.