Large carved panels are a staple within the Northwest Coast Native art market, but they are a contemporary art form. Bentwood boxes, poles, and masks have long been created for both cultural and artistic purposes, but decorative panels only began emerging in the 1990s. One explanation for this development lies in the fact that paintings on paper and canvas, which are pervasive in conventional art galleries, are not common within the Northwest Coast market. Carved and painted panels are a fusion of traditions: wall-mounted compositions created through carving. From the traditional to the bright and modern, Lattimer Gallery has several outstanding panels right now:

Heiltsuk artist Dean Hunt’s Hzí (Frog) Bounce is a playful 36” diameter panel comprised of light and dark greens. Representing a frog in motion, the figure appears as though it could hop right out of the wood due to the depth Dean achieved by dropping all of the negative space down by ½”. This animated sculpture is available for $6,000.00 CAD.






Tsimshian/Cree artist Phil Gray’s rectangular red cedar panel depicting two killerwhales is titled Gestation and measures  48” x 24” x 1 ¾”. Representing a mother orca and newborn orca, this deeply-carved panel contains a great amount of movement and tension. Two human figures can also be seen within this clever composition. Phil’s panel is available for $8,000.00 CAD.



Haida artist Corey Bulpitt has carved a red cedar panel titled Skaana (Killerwhale) that strongly demonstrates his tendency to create designs that extend beyond strict formline composition. This piece contains all of the classic elements of a whale design in plain oiled cedar – the head, blowhole, tail flukes – yet the dorsal fin has been superimposed across the entire composition in black and red paint. Corey’s 36” round panel is available for $6,000.00 CAD.     


Kwakwaka’wakw artist Rande Cook’s Thunderbird panel contains elegant lines and fluid forms. The details within this 36” diameter panel are delightful. From the knife-finished bevelled edge to the carefully domed ovoids, this piece demonstrates Rande’s talent as both a carver and designer. Unlike many representations of the mythical Thunderbird, Rande’s appears serene with its closed beak, small horns, and tucked talon. Rande’s panel is available for $6,000.00 CAD.

David Neel comes from a long line of artists. Iconic Kwakwaka'wakw carver Charlie James was his great-great-great grandfather and his great uncle was prolific totem pole carver Mungo Martin. In addition, his grandmother was Ellen Neel, the first professional full-time female First Nations artist in British Columbia.

David Neel Bukwus Mask at Lattimer Gallery

Lattimer Gallery has been carrying David's work for many years, and we facilitate custom orders with him on a regular basis. From masks to wedding bands to paintings on canvas, David possesses a diverse skill set.

David Neel 14k Gold Wedding Band

David was born in 1960 and he apprenticed with Beau Dick and Wayne Alfred between 1987 and 1989. In both 1987 and 1988, Neel earned the Mungo Martin Memorial Award. In 1991, Canada Council Explorations provided him with a grant for his Contemporary Mask Series. The Smithsonian Institution awarded him a Community Scholar Grant in 1992. His photography resulted in two books about Native culture: Our Chiefs and Elders in 1992 and The Great Canoes in 1995. Like some of his prints and masks, these also dealt with contemporary First Nations history.

Lattimer Gallery has been carrying the work of young Haisla carver Nathan Wilson since 2007. He recently created an intriguing cedar mask for us titled The Grizz Who Looked Back at Me. Designed as a three-quarter profile mask rather than a frontal/symmetrical mask, this piece has a dynamism that many Northwest Coast First Nations masks lack.

Nathan said about this mask: "During a mid-April hunting trip, I was some 40km up the upper Kitamaat River valley. It had been a very uneventful day until I came to the top of a small hill. Out of nowhere, a large male Grizzly stood up from is resting spot on the side of the road! I stopped dead in my tracks as my brain was trying to process what was no more than 50 yards in front of me. He didn't seem to mind my presence, so over the course of an hour I followed him (at a safe distance, of course). Many times he stopped and looked back at me and I knew at some point I had to carve a mask of him. The experience has left me with a deeper appreciation for these animals and how intimidating a large Grizzly can be..."

Thank you to all who came out to our event. And thank you to Quince and Nk'Mip for contributing and making this such a successful night!

Lattimer Gallery has been carrying the jewellery and paintings of Sharifah Marsden for six years. Sharifah is an Anishinaabe artist from the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation in Ontario who has been living in Vancouver for the past fifteen years, and she strives to fuse her cultural roots with Northwest Coast forms. As her first solo show, Sharifah Marsden - Miigwetch features jewellery pieces created over the past two years during the artist’s studies at the Vancouver Metal Arts School. The word 'miigwetch' means 'thank you' in the Ojibwe language. Under the instruction of European goldsmith Gerold Mueller, Sharifah has learned hollow form jewellery design and stone-setting, processes she has added to her existing arsenal of hand-engraving techniques.

Throughout the 15 years I have lived in Vancouver, I have been active in the Native arts community, working in Native art galleries, attending Native arts programs, and connecting with other First Nations artists. The strong influence of Northwest Coast formline has influenced how I have chosen to develop my personal style, and my artistic practice. As I studied and was witness to the creations of the Northwest Coast, I was forced to analyze my own art, in the Anishinaabe style. Through the development of my own style, while living and growing here, I came to create my own sense of formline, within the Anishinaabe tradition. - Sharifah Marsden