Jack James was a Gilford Island-based Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw master carver known for his colourful masks and elaborate, brightly painted model totem poles. As Steve Brown has noted of James’ work, “The influence of Henry Speck and other flamboyant artists of this period can be seen in the repetitive use of a white background design in the painted composition.” [1] This expressive Owl mask aligns with Brown’s assessment with a white background, primary brown colour, and black, red, and orange paints in reticulating u-forms and tertiary spaces. The Owl is anthropomorphic, with horn ears, a short, sharply curved beak for a nose, huge, round concentric circles for eyes, and a wide, red human mouth. The mask is carved in red cedar and with an original Marion Scott Ltd. label adhered on the verso.

1. Steven Clay Brown. 1998. Native Visions: Evolution in Northwest Coast Art from the Eighteenth through the Twentieth Century. Vancouver: Seattle Art Museum in association with Douglas & McIntyre, 155.

CWS