Sea Urchin Mask by Jim Charlie

On September 10th, 1967, the Squamish Nation gained a new member. Jim Charlie, born in North Vancouver, was the newest addition to a long line of Squamish artists. Jim is the grandson of the late Dominic Charlie, who was a highly regarded carver during his time and who passed both the art form and the stories of the Salish people on to Jim. A member of the Squamish Nation, Jim’s work is heavily influenced by his culture and heritage, and this beautiful sea urchin mask is a fabulous example of that. The carving is clean and smooth, Jim having spent hours carving, sanding, and shaping the raw wood into the features of this face. Using mother of pearl for the eyes, Jim has created a reflectivity that mimics the moon rising over the sea, and abalone shine like a rainbow as this sea urchin bares his teeth and shows his tongue.

Jim has decorated the mask in a halo of spines, darkened with glittering paint and kept the color palette tight, using only red, black, and the raw wood, celebrating powerful simplicity. The spines are also removable, and from the backside, we can see Jim’s ingenuity in the way he built the piece. The back also shows the raw chisel work which allows us a peek at the steps Jim took to make this mask. This mask is a beautiful work from a living artist, and a wonderful representation of Northwest Coast art. Signed and dated by the artist.

L.: 9" W.: 25" H.: 18 ½"