Medium: red cedar, acrylic paint, copper, Ermine, Melton (inside),

16” x 16” x 8” - 4.54lb

40cm x 40 cm x 20cm - 2.06kg

Note: The ermine cannot be shipped outside of Canada, and will be shipped separately to better prevent any complications with shipping.

Transforming Frog Child is a clan hat with a young frog sitting on top. The piece represents raising our boys into respectful young men. The hat has two small painted designs on the hat, front and back, known as salmon trout heads – in this case, the heads represent the boy’s caregiver watching over him. Barely noticeable, from behind the frog, the caregiver is watching his back for him, so the boy could continue looking forward without worry. I wanted to show the never-ending work caregivers put into their children.
The chief is young, fore he has only earned one ermine for the top of his hat, but what an honor it was to receive such gift. His eyes are of copper, to show that he only wants wealth for his people.

This piece is very meaningful to me as it was my project for the YVR Art Foundation scholarship in 2017, and was displayed throughout the airport in 2018. I was mentored by both Ken McNeil and Stan Bevan, but Ken was mainly the one teaching me. I learn a lot from this piece. How to carve the body of a frog, the face of the frog, and how to hollow out awkward areas. I also picked up some tricks on craving with red cedar.