Join the Carving on the Edge Society and Peter Wayne Gong in this 1h demonstration of how to bend bent-wood boxes.
Event by donation
Peter Wayne Gong
I grew up in Ruskin, B.C. on the Whonnock Reserve #1. My family on my mother's side are direct descendants of the people who lived on the Stave River, a tributary of the Fraser River. Though I grew up in Ruskin, I am a member of the Squamish Nation, which is situated in North Vancouver, B.C. As a child I spent many days on the Fraser River netting salmon with my uncle. He would set his net, and we would wait for the floats to go down. This would indicate salmon hitting the net. During this time, my uncle would tell me the stories that were passed on to him.
Since then, I have had a strong interest in my culture. I first started to learn to carve when I was a teenager. I learned from my uncle, Jack Miranda. He taught me how to carve ivory and wood and how to make my own tools. I now carve mostly red and yellow cedar, as well as alder and birch. I also have to credit my two teachers, Sean Hinton and Tom Patterson, for the progress I made with my art in the last two years.
As an artist I want every piece to be better than the last and always strive to do the best I can. Since 2009 I have worked with my nephew on two projects as a volunteer. The first was a house pole that was gifted by Mission City, B.C. to its sister city, Oyama, Japan, where it now proudly stands with Mt. Fuji in the background. The second project was two welcome figures, one male and one female, 18 feet tall and 3 1/2 feet in diameter, carved for B.C. Hydro for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. They now stand welcoming guests to B.C. Hydro's main office foyer in Vancouver, B.C. I also worked as an apprentice for George Pennier on a project for the new emergency waiting room at Chilliwack General Hospital in early 2011. This project was a 8 feet in diameter by 4 inches thick spindle whorl, and can now be viewed at the Chilliwack hospital in its new emergency area. Since then I have been busy improving my skills as a carver, working and striving to be better with every project I take on as an artist.
Photo credits: Carving on the Edge Festival
