Dempsey Bob, Tahltan-Tlingit Artist, personal webpage.

I have been carving alder and cedar for over thirty years, and for the past eight years I have been studying and sculpting bronze.  Bronze has a different feel to it.  It's new, and it's a challenge to make it good. 

Our people were great sculptors.  They knew as much about sculpture as any other great cultures in the world.  The great old northwest coast pieces in wood would make great bronze sculptures today. Tlingit people made copper masks, frontlets, jewelry and rattles, and bronze in 90% copper.

Our art has to evolve otherwise it will die. The old master artists carved bone, copper, gold, horn, ivory, silver, stone and wood.  My great grandfather was a carver, and if he were carving today he would of “went to town” with all the new tools and materials. 

I often wonder where the art would be today if our people did not stop carving for all those years.  We have to make our art real for our people today. 

Copyright © 2000-07  Dempsey Bob, Blue Wolfe Arts Ltd.