Ferocious Stance

Description

Clarence Keith Bird is an aspiring Cree artist from TheSaddle Lake First Nation. He was born in Lethbridge, Alberta buthe was raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.Keith was involved with art from an early age. He began withsketching seriously when he was 14 years old, where within thatyear he was granted a scholarship at the Mendall Art Gallery.He was inspired to begin carving driftwood and cedar at the age of15. One of his early carving mentors was Lloyd Pinay. He had alsocarved under the watchful eye of Dave Kemp.Keith moved to Vancouver, B.C. in the summer of 1999where he then began to carve soapstone under the tutelage ofhis uncle, Donnie Bird. After 11 years of living and working inVancouver, Keith is continuing to carve and develop his ownunique style. Through out his career, Keith experimented witha number of different materials. He has worked with marble,Brazilian soapstone, alabaster, and black chloride.He believes that art can contribute to the preservation ofnature through awareness of the people and wildlife of the land.As a result, the relationship between man and his environment isfrequently reflected in his work.Keith’s unique styles of stone sculptures are now residingin different parts of the world in select galleries as well as privatecollections.