Lot 54
GARNER MOODY (1958-)
Additional Images
Provenance:
a B.C. private collection
Note:
The nephew of the famous carver Rufus Moody (1923-1998), Moody began to carve argillite at age fifteen. In 1987 he moved to Vancouver where he was invited to work on Bill Reid’s famous Lootaas Canoe. Moody lives on Haida Gwaii where he carves argillite and cedar, and makes jewellery. He was one of six artists invited to carve poles for the Haida Cultural Centre in Skidegate. His Ts’aahl Pole was raised in 2001.
Although flat at the back, Totemic Figure has more the look and feel of a sculpture than a plaque. Its proportions feel expansive as well; one can imagine it being carved as a large cedar sculpture. The work represents a beaver; interestingly the tail’s crosshatch texture is echoed on the animal’s incisors.