Box Carving Depicting Salmon, Eagle, Raven, Hummingbird and Bear, 1984
by Glen Pollard, Haida First Nation
argillite, sterling silver
1 1/2” high x 2 5/8” wide x 2 1/8” deep
Glen Pollard was born January 17, 1957 in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia, Canada. He has been carving since the early 1970’s. Glen is a mostly self-taught artist. He prefers to carve Argillite, but has recently begun working with wood and precious metals. He most enjoys creating three dimensional sculptural pieces. His work is found in collections worldwide and in fine galleries along the Pacific Northwest Coast.
Argillite is a rare stone also known as a black slate; that can only be found on Haida Gwaii & is only visited by the Haida for its use. It is a known fact this is a Haida resource and everyone respects that. This is a dull grey stone transforms into a beautiful black shiny Art form when it is carved.
This brilliant material was and still is used to carve free forms and miniature poles. These Art pieces can be found in museums around the world. People of the Islands, other than Haida ancestry respect the slate chuck mountain as private property of the Haida Nation and do not visit except by invitation only.
