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Russell Smith
Russell Smith (“Ye-Ku-tla-las” - to give all) was one of the Northwest Coast’s most respected native artists. He was of the Sea Bear Clan and his crest was Thunderbird and Grizzly Bear. His mother taught him to make button blankets and his cousin, Lloyd Wadhams, introduced Russell to silver work and precious metals. Russell Smith is a very fine singer and drummer in the Northwest Coast tradition.
Smith produces imaginative interpretations of the old Kwakwaka'wakw masks. He was particularly renowned for his innovative Komokwa masks, which are topped with creative interpretations of the sea anemone and various kinds of fish.
Smith’s carving career began as a child and was influenced by a variety of associations and experiences. In 1970, he worked with Bill Holm and others on a Gilford Island Longhouse for the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. He worked alongside Doug Cranmer and Larry Rosso on a heritage project for the Vancouver Museum’s Centennial celebration.
Russell Smith’s work has been collected at an international level. He participated in many important exhibitions and his work is represented in many important collections.
Bookwas Mask Pendant
Russell Smith (Kwakwaka'wakw)
Known from the stories of the Kwakwaka’wakw people, Bookwus (Wild Man of the Woods) is a supernat...
Known from the stories of the Kwakwaka’wakw people, Bookwus (Wild Man of the Woods) is a supernatural being who lurks on the edges of forests and near streams trying to lure living people and the souls of those who have drowned into his invisible abode. Also known as the Keeper of Drowned Souls, Bookwus forces his victims to eat his ghost food, which causes them to become like him, condemned to eternal hunger and wandering. When danced, Bookwus emits a low wheezing sound which is made by the ...
$600.00
Portrait Pendant
Russell Smith (Kwakwaka'wakw)
Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...
Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.In oral tradi...
$700.00
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