Terry Horne's 'Bear and Salmon' Totem Pole
By Lattimer Gallery
Posted in News, on April 04, 2021
Over the past several months, we have been fortunate enough to facilitate the creation of a beautiful cedar Bear and Salmon totem pole by Coast Salish artist Terry Horne. It was commissioned by a private client who saw a similar piece in our gallery – an Eagle totem pole, also Terry’s – and felt it would fit perfectly in their newly constructed home. The Eagle pole had already sold, but fortunately Terry was open to carving something specifically for them. It was important to the client that Terry create something he felt passionately about, so they sent him to work with complete control over the pole’s concept and design. Terry came up with this stunning, 96” tall Bear and Salmon design in which a Bear chews on the tail of its freshly caught Salmon prey.
The pole is adorned with Coast Salish motifs in black, red, and blue, but Terry chose to let the wood’s natural colour and texture speak for itself as the Bear’s fur. Once the pole was complete, we transported it to the client’s home to install it on their beautiful second-floor mezzanine overlooking the living space.
Terry Horne's primary crest symbol is Sisiutl. He carries the ancestral name of Siyemches, a name passed down to him by his grandfather, Frank Malloway. His education took place while working under the direction of his father, Francis Horne, and uncle, Doug Lafortune. His brother is well-known carver Francis Horne Jr. Terry assisted his uncle in the completion of two 30-foot totem poles for Butchart Gardens' 100th Anniversary in Victoria. In 2019, Terry was commissioned to create a large Stó:lō house post for the Chilliwack YMCA. Many of his sculptures and masks contain unique features involving shamanistic elements and atypical formline design.