Clarence Mills - Artist Bio
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Clarence Mills is a Haida Indigenous artist. His prints, jewelry and works on glass sell in native art shops, museums and galleries throughout British Columbia. His totem poles have been displayed internationally at Worlds Expos and at world-class museums such as the Louvre. Mill’s art as a multidisciplinary artist focuses on the Haida style and is created in the tradition of his people. With his abilities as an artist, his work connects people with the powerful energy of Haida culture, land, ocean and air and its creatures. He incorporates traditional Haida subjects of the Raven, the Eagle, the Bear, the Whale and others in his totem poles, argillite, red and yellow cedar boxes, bowls, doors, plaques, limited edition silkscreen prints, and engraved silver and gold jewelry and was a pioneer in designing traditional Haida motifs in the contemporary medium of glass. His body of work has reflected his beliefs that the Haida tradition should be preserved and communicated around the world. Mills was born in Skidegate, Queen Charlotte Islands in 1958 and is a member of the Eagle Clan of the Haida nation, that inhabits the northern Pacific Ocean on the coast of British Columbia. He takes the Spirit Raven and Grizzly Bear as his crests. He was born into a family of renowned carvers. His grandfather was Jimmy Wilson (hereditary Chief Skedens). His Haida name Gahghinskus”, means “out of your own land”. With guidance from his uncle, Doug Wilson, Mills began studying traditional Haida art at the age of eighteen. For a period of years Mills studied and mastered the art of Repose. |