Don Yeomans

Don Yeomans is one of the most established and respected Northwest Coast artists in Canada. Born of a Haida father from Masset and a Métis mother from Slave Lake, Alberta, Yeomans has studied and worked in the Haida Style since his youth.

Yeomans first apprenticed under the expert guidance of his aunt Freda Diesing in the early 1970’s. In 1976, shortly after attending art school at Vancouver Community College, Yeomans worked under Robert Davidson on the Charles Edenshaw Memorial Longhouse, a monumental project that unfortunately burnt down several years later. Over decades of work he has mastered formline design, the basic visual language of Haida art. He often works with non-traditional materials like bronze and Forton (a gypsum resin). As Yeomans states: "Those who understand [formline] and can design, have a limitless potential" (From Raven Travelling)

Yeomans' art can be found in numerous private and public collections. In 2003 Don carved a 40 foot pole for Stanford University chronicling the story of the Stanford son. In 2008 he carved a 20 foot totem for the McMichael Gallery's permanent collection which interwove traditional iconography and totemic animals with different modern modes of communication including a cell phone, laptop and an MP3 player.

Yeomans has hosted several solo shows, one in 1998 and one in 2007, both at the Douglas Reynolds Gallery. In 2005 a totem pole he carved for British artist Damien Hirst was included in the Raven Traveling show at the Vancouver Art Gallery. In 2006 Don was commissioned to carve two 34 foot totem poles for the new wing of the Vancouver International Airport, which were raised in 2008. In 2012 he was part of the show "Modern Family", hosted by the Douglas Reynolds Gallery; it featured work from Trace Yeomans, his wife, and their children, Kyran and Crystal Yeomans.

14 items

Divide and Conquer
Don Yeomans (Haida)

Edition / 99 Available framed for $1300 CAD. Please contact the gallery directly.   "The print de...

Edition / 99 Available framed for $1300 CAD. Please contact the gallery directly.   "The print depicts two humans split from one original body they once shared. Separated and suspicious of each other, they are easy victims for the powers that divide them." - Don Yeomans

$1,000.00

Eagle and Bear Tile
Don Yeomans (Haida)

Edition /50 Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and ani...

Edition /50 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....

$2,400.00

Fear
Don Yeomans (Haida)

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.  

$2,000.00

Frog
Don Yeomans (Haida)

Edition /5 This item is available to order only. Various colours are available and size can be cu...

Edition /5 This item is available to order only. Various colours are available and size can be customized when ordered. Please contact the gallery if you would like more information. 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 Northwe...

Glass Totem Pole
Don Yeomans (Haida)

This is the prototype for an outdoor lit glass totem pole that Douglas worked on with Don Yeomans...

This is the prototype for an outdoor lit glass totem pole that Douglas worked on with Don Yeomans (Haida). Future commissions of this type could be completed with a different artist.

$60,000.00

Killer Whale and Hawk Man Panel
Don Yeomans (Haida)

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. Killer Whale...

$37,000.00

Killer Whale Transforming Panel
Don Yeomans (Haida)

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. Killer Whale...

$25,000.00

Raven Bracelet
Don Yeomans (Haida)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that ar...

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. Raven is on...

$6,000.00

Raven Tie Bar
Don Yeomans (Haida)

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. Raven is one...

$1,800.00

Sea Bear
Don Yeomans (Haida)

Edition /5This piece is stored off-site. To arrange a viewing, please contact the gallery directl...

Edition /5This piece is stored off-site. To arrange a viewing, please contact the gallery directly.An encounter with a Sea Bear would not be easily forgotten. Among the Haida people, oral histories sustain the memory of this imposing, magical spirit, with its origins at the beginning of the world. A hybrid animal with features of the whale and bear, the sea bear had all the subtle swiftness of the whale and the predatory power of the bear, carrying the mass and presence of both. Traversing la...

$65,000.00

The Light
Don Yeomans (Haida)

Edition /12

Edition /12

$18,000.00

Totem Pole Commission
Don Yeomans (Haida)

Don Yeomans is one of the most established and respected Northwest Coast artists in Canada. He is...

Don Yeomans is one of the most established and respected Northwest Coast artists in Canada. He is a master carver and has made several important totem poles including a totem to represent communication for the McMichael Museum in Ontario, and a totem to represent flight for the Vancouver Airport (both poles are pictured below). Don is an adaptive artist and is great at incorporating the client and their narrative into the carving of the pole. He would be an excellent option for making a custo...

Welcome Frog Aluminum Gate
Don Yeomans (Haida)

To celebrate our 20th anniversary we approached Don Yeomans to make two special pieces for the ga...

To celebrate our 20th anniversary we approached Don Yeomans to make two special pieces for the gallery. The first was the design for the gallery's red aluminum gate, and the second was for a commemorative bronze edition. For both pieces, Don and Doug chose a frog design. For the door, Don said that he always has liked the friendly look of a frog and sees it as a welcoming figure. For the Bronze, Doug liked the association of Frogs with good luck, which appears in many cultures. On the opening...

Welcoming Frog
Don Yeomans (Haida)

Edition /5This item is available to order only. Please contact the gallery if you would like more...

Edition /5This item is available to order only. Please contact the gallery if you would like more information.Early in 2015, the gallery commissioned Haida artist Don Yeomans to create an original free-standing aluminum sculpture. Called Welcoming Frog the sculpture is made of powder-coated aluminum and can be mounted either indoors or outdoors. On the design, Don said that he has always liked the friendly look of the frog and sees it as a welcoming figure.As a commission, the remaining editi...