Phil Gray Panel Commission
By Alex Dawkins
Posted in News, on March 23, 2016
In the summer of 2015, a long-time client of the gallery inquired after commissioning a piece from in-demand Tsimshian/Cree artist Phil Gray. Our client wanted a piece unlike anything Phil had created before: a large, extremely thick, sculptural panel to fit a specific space. We approached Phil with the concept and he was immediately excited by the project.
Phil created two sketches for our client. One sketch consisted of three eagles overlapping in a vertical formation, and the other depicted a dense swirl of sea creatures. Our client opted for the former, and then Phil focused on acquiring the wood for this involved project. Due to the desired dimensions, 62" tall by 22" wide by 8" deep, a laminated block of yellow cedar had to be created. After the massive cedar block had been made, Phil went about transforming his initial two-dimensional sketch into a three-dimensional design. This piece was going to be so deeply-carved and contain so many planes that it took a great deal of planning and visualizing before any actual carving began.
The carving of this piece took over three months. First, the mammoth yellow cedar block was roughed out to resemble the shape of the panel as drawn in the sketch.
Second, the block was carved and gouged to create appropriate depths in the correct areas.
Third, the details of each eagle were finely carved and distinguished. Lastly, the sculpture was knife-textured and oiled. Titled Convocation, with final dimensions of 60 1/2" tall by 19" wide by 7 1/2" deep, Phil stated that this is one of the best pieces he has ever created. It was delivered to our client in the Spring of 2016.
Phil Gray belongs to the Killerwhale Clan and his works are created in his traditional Tsimshian style. He began carving in 1998 with Salish artist Gerry Sheena. He also had the opportunity to work with David Boxley, Henry Green, and Rick Adkins early in his career. In 2005, Phil was featured in the Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 2 exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design in New York, NY. In 2007, Phil completed the Northwest Coast Jewellery Arts Program at the Native Education College in Vancouver, BC, under Kwakwaka’wakw/Haida artist Dan Wallace. Phil was included in two major exhibitions in 2009. The first was the Challenging Traditions exhibition at Ontario's McMichael Gallery, a show that was dedicated to exploring innovative and experimental works from the Northwest Coast. The second was Continuum: Vision and Creativity on the Northwest Coast at Vancouver's Bill Reid Gallery, which highlighted 23 established Aboriginal artists from BC, Washington State, and Alaska. In February of 2010, Phil designed the helmet of gold medal-winning Skeleton racer Jon Montgomery. In 2012, Phil was included in the Vancouver Art Gallery's Shore, Forest, and Beyond exhibition. In 2014, Phil was awarded a BC Creative Achievement Award for his contributions to the province.