Txa'msem Brings Fire - Red Cedar Totem Pole
Txa'msem Brings Fire - Red Cedar Totem Pole
Phil Gray
SOLD
Contact the gallery to place a commission with the artist.
97" x 24" x 22"
One myth central to Ts'msyen culture is the ‘Txa'msem Brings Fire’ story. This is an origin story that tells of how in the beginning, much of mankind lacked fire. Communities would freeze in the winter without it, and it was difficult for families to cook and prepare food. Txa'msem (Ts'msyen for Raven in Human Form, the cultural hero) remembered seeing a village that always had a large fire in their longhouse during his travels. Due to the fact that the fire was so far away, Txa'msem used his shape-shifting abilities to transform into several other animals that would be faster than he in his current form. Through great effort – including the use of Shark’s supernatural canoe and Deer’s speed and agility – Txa'msem brought a firebrand back to the Tsimshian people, lit a Fir tree with it, and stated “This shall burn as long as the years last”.
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Phil Gray
CULTURAL GROUP:
Ts'msyen/Cree
BORN:
March 15, 1983
BIRTHPLACE:
Vancouver, BC
Phil Gray belongs to the Killerwhale Clan and his works are created in his traditional Ts'msyen 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. Phil primarily works in red cedar and creates masks, paintings, panels, poles, sculptures, and drums. In September of 2003, Phil had three of his pieces donated to the Burke Museum in Seattle, WA. 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. Montgomery held Phil's helmet throughout the Olympic awards ceremony. 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. In 2017, Phil won two major prizes: a YVR Art Foundation Mid-Career Scholarship and a REVEAL Indigenous Art Award, which was issued in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday.