LEFT: Volcano Woman, Gary Olver, Cree, catlanite, abalone shell, horse hair, 2" X 1.75" X 1" (not including base and hair), at Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery
BELOW: Cockle Shell Rattle and Pendant, Gwaai Edenshaw, Haida, mastodon ivory, 22K gold, abalone shell. 2.75" X 1.5" X 1" (including bail), at Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery
ABOVE: Raven’s Child, Christian White, Haida, argillite, mastodon ivory, catlanite, abalone shell, opal, maple wood base. 1.25" X 3" X 1.5" (not including base), at Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery
RIGHT: A Shaman’s Dance, Billy Gauthier, Inuit, serpentine, anhydrite, steatite, ptarmigan feathers, ptarmigan claw, 2007, 7" x 4" x 3.5", at Inuit Gallery
OFTEN, FOR MANY ARTISTS WHO WORK IN LARGER SCALE, IT’S A CHALLENGE TO WORK SMALL
60 Galleries West Spring 2008
First Nations art to new audiences. “Doing a miniature show is one way of getting people to support a culture they haven’t in the past,” Reading says. “When we first tried this, we had a phenomenal response and decided we would do it every two years.” Smaller-scale works can also invite new collectors to the genre. But gallerists are adamant that size has little to do with price. “Size isn’t the most important part of price,” Zavediuk says at the Inuit Gallery. “Price has more to do with the actual piece itself, and the artist.” “ The value of any piece comes down to the medium, embellishment, and complexity and uniqueness of design,” Fouks adds. To reinforce her point, Fouks describes a piece from the gallery titled Cockle Shell Rattle and Pendant by Haida artist Gwaai Edenshaw. “It’s quite rare. Few artists we know create wearable rattles. There are less than six artists capable of doing it that we’re aware of. Gwaai is a new artist for us, and he’s www.gallerieswest.ca