Star Fish & Kelp Painting
Cecil Dawson Star Fish & Kelp Painting
NOS, Beautiful, original 1 of a kind hand painted and signed 20 inch long by 16 inch high with his depiction of ''Star Fish & Kelp'' in the style of the Kwakuitl nation .
This beautiful acrylic & canvas unframed painting is signed (initialed) by Cecil Dawson.
Cecil only ever makes one of a kind pieces and never makes the same one twice.
This painting is in a protective plastic sheath with white board backing to keep the item in pristine condition.
According to Kwakiutl legend, starfish once were women who defied the somewhat antisocial trickster deity Mink, who punished them by transforming them into starfish. Other legends identify starfish as the wealth of the Northwest Coast sea god named Kumugwe (or Komokwa,) and traditional carvings of Kumugwe are often adorned with starfish.
Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada • Kwakuitl Nation
Born into a family of artists, Cecil Dawson began his artistic career at a very young age. His grandfather Jimmy Dick, a totem and mask carver, taught Cecil the intricacies of carving. Cecil also spent time under the tutelage of his cousin, mask carver Simon Dick. Other masters who influenced Cecil's artistic gifts were his great uncles Willie Seaweed, Henry Speck, and Dick Hawkins.
Cecil is from the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation. His father is head chief of the Mountain Goat Hunter clan and his mother comes from the Wolf clan. Cecil's cultural involvement is important to him; he is a historian and an initiated Hamatsa dancer.
Cecil's great labour of love is to replicate his family's masks and bring them back into ceremonial use once again. By doing so, he honours his cultural and traditional values. Cecil has a strong sense of propriety and will not copy from a book. His pieces are unique and to his own style, demonstrating a deeply rooted understanding of his culture.