Glass Paddle with Salmon Design
by Marvin Oliver (1946-2019), Quinault and Isleta Pueblo
cast glass
12” long x 2.25” wide x .25" deep
Marvin Oliver is of Quinault and Isleta-Pueblo heritage. He draws upon the Northwest Coast half of his heritage for artistic inspiration, combining northern formline design with southern Coast Salish imagery.
Marvin is one of the Northwest's best known sculptors and printmakers. His prints, masks, helmets and wood panels fuse ancient forms with contemporary aesthetics.
His monumental works in cedar, bronze, cast glass and enameled steel - especially his totem poles and towering, stylized whale fins - have influenced recent directions in contemporary Northwest Coast art and has established him as one of Seattle's foremost contributors to civic art. His works have been installed in Washington as well as through out the United States, Canada, and Japan.
Not only is Marvin an incredible artist, but an inspiring teacher as well. He holds a part time post at the University of Alaska, Ketchikan, and is also the Director of the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Washington. He teaches two-dimensional design and woodcarving to students in the University's Art Department and also serves as an adjunct art history professor. Marvin is Curator of Contemporary Native American Art at the Burke Museum.
“My works are formulated by merging the spirit of past traditions with those of the present, to create new horizons for the future." - Marvin Oliver
