Gary Minaker-Russ is one of the artists featured in Carol Sheehan’s 2008 book Breathing Stone. As Sheehan aptly writes, “Walking into a collection of Gary Minaker Russ argillite sculptures is like reading a book of ancient Haida stories: there is a common denominator in their epic quality, with narrative themes and images that impart a depth and complexity that seems inexhaustible. No two sculptures are alike, yet there is an interrelationship in the wide-ranging subjects. These are Haida stories, portrayed with all the concentration of symbols that can be envisioned or imagined in stone” [1].

Minaker-Russ’s works are intricately and superlatively carved. The artist prides himself on his fine tool finishing, which he learned from his brother Ed Russ and Ed’s wife Faye:

"I like to do tool finishing rather than polishing my work. It takes a lot longer, but it looks more natural. I like to encourage people to pick up my pieces, to hold them. It brings the owner closer to my sculptures. You can feel what you can’t see. Edges, angles, corners become more apparent and you can become more involved with the sculpture" [2].

Both Minaker-Russ’s style and his subject matter are based on careful research, including frequent visits to the Reif Collection at the Royal BC Museum. The artist typically zeroes in on a particular legend or story, trying to focus on one episode at a time for maximum clarity. The Blind Halibut Fisherman is beautifully carved and richly detailed; even down to the ocean waves that incorporate Haida design elements. For a completely different take on the same story see Breathing Stone, pp. 136-137.

1. Carol Sheehan, Breathing Stone; Contemporary Haida Argillite Sculpture, (Calgary, AB: Frontenac House Ltd., 2008), p. 130.

2. Ibid., p. 133.