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"Silver Wolf
Shiny Eyes
and Family "
(David
Amey)
".
. one day I was watching an Elder carving a mask; for hours
I watched him carve. I asked him if he could show me how
to carve and he said, "I cannot show you. You have
that gift in you.""
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The
Artist's Life . . a
Biography
- Canadian Native Artist -
-David Amey -
"Silver Wolf Shiny Eyes and Family"
I
was born in the city of Toronto in 1953 and later moved to
an artist's paradise - British Columbia. And it is here that
I live with my beautiful wife Tracy and my boys,
Tyson
and David Jr.
As a boy, I discovered that B.C. is the playground of the
spirits. As a young man, I was gifted with the ability to
create beautiful things with my hands and my imagination came
alive in my sketches and paintings. My creative curiosity
grew, and when I was shown how to work with leather, I found
I could carve life into it.
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I began to make
my own clothing, experiment with stitching and I became more and
more adept at working magic with my heart and my hands. At times,
my eyes would fill with humble pride when I looked at some of the
things I'd created.
One day I was watching an Elder carving a mask; for hours I watched
him carve. I asked him if he could show me how to carve and he said,
"I cannot show you. You have that gift in you." I like
to carve bone and wood.
A few months went by and I found myself involved with the teachings
of the sweat lodge and it was here that I found a way to pray for
myself and to my Creator. I prayed for help to become a stronger
person and from that day, things began to change for me in a beautiful
way. I began to learn about the man who lived in the deepest part
of me - I learned about who I was and who I wanted to be. I became
a man of higher learning. I could hear "All My Relations"
with ears that had never heard such beauty before. It was like being
born again with the voices of my mother and grandmother, teaching
me how to be a good person, a kind person and give from the heart,
as they gave.
These deeply beautiful things I'd learned began to move through
my art and creations like a steady stream feeding my spirit and
my hands.
My son, David Jr. is currently studying under the same sliversmith
I have studied under and he brings fresh eyes and sound ideas to
the studio.
For the past 10 years, I have been like a small eagle, trying hard
to break away from the shell and having to work very hard to see
the beauty beneath my high perch. But now, I have found solid wings
and a steady rhythm - the wings of an artist and the heart of a
wolf.
Aho!
All My Relations
David Amey
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