William Jr. Kuhnley

Country/Region: Northwest Coast (view other artists)

Tribe: Nuu Chah Nulth

William Kuhnley Jr. has been watching his parents carving all his life. His own interest started at 13 with a school project. The medium at the time was a set of silk screen prints, one of a raven and one of an owl. As a result his chosen elective became the arts.

While spending seven years of his early childhood in Port Alice with his family logging business he learned about the quality of red and yellow cedar.

Bill apprenticed with master carver Robert Davidson (Haida) in for four years, commencing in 1993. He enjoys working on works such as spoons, bowls, masks, panels. He has carved many totems including four eight foot poles, and a one twelve foot pole for private clients. He prefers working with red cedar on large poles.

His first totem was of an eagle sitting on a beaver. After that he carved a few 4 - 8 ft totem poles. The Native Heritage Center in Duncan, BC hired him as their resident carver during the summer for 3 seasons. BCTV did a documentry on one two month project that they called Raven presents the moon. It was a 12.5 ft totem pole carved on sight.

Bill's art can be found in private collections around Europe and the US and Canada. His work is also showing in many galleries around North America including The Spirit Wrestler Gallery, in Gastown and Alcheringa Gallery on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada and the the Gallery Indigena in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.

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