The supernatural creature known to cause thunder with the clap of its wings and lightning with the blinking of its eyes, the Thunderbird would prey on Killer whales by swooping down from the sky and lifting them from the ocean.

Jay Simeon is a 46-year-old artist from the Kaawaas / Sdast’s aas, Eagle clan of the Haida nation. He is of mixed Haida and Blackfoot descent, born in Fort McCleod, Alberta, and raised on Haida Gwaii. At the age of thirteen he began an early apprenticeship with his aunt, Sharon Hitchcock, in designing and carving jewellery. He eventually moved to Vancouver and established a studio where he produced highly detailed miniatures and jewellery pieces in metal and argillite. He also began carving wood and creating masks with exceptional details. Simeon was strongly influenced by the Haida master artists such as Robert Davidson, Jim Hart and Bill Reid, and his early work reflects his dedication to maintain the highest standards of Haida art. He has become one of the most elite jewellers and carvers of his generation. In 2009 he completed a commission to fully design and paint a Steinway piano in Haida formline using an argillite-based paint. A Wasco mask by Simeon is included in the contemporary Northwest Coast collection at the Audain Museum in Whistler, BC. In 2011 he received the Fulmer Prize for First Nation arts – BC Achievement Award.

Gary Wyatt