Totem Carving and Painting by Ed Peekeekoot

For the past few years, Ed has mostly concentrated on carving prairie First Nations themes in cottonwood bark- a medium which offers the challenge of a limited amount of space and a strong contrast between the natural and the carved elements.

To find the thick bark he needs, Ed journeys into northern BC and searches for large cottonwoods which have fallen along the rivers and lakes.

Ed and his family settled in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, which is home to a supportive and thriving art community. He is thankful for the open-hearted sharing of the artists he has met here.

Ed also sculpts in clay and is an accomplished painter. He contributed several illustrations to a history book about the life of Chief Ahtahkakoop ("Starblanket"), who led his people through the times when they were placed on reservations in the 1800's.

Ed is basically self-taught but has learned from many artists. He formally studied the painting techniques of the Old Masters with Sandor Meszaros and briefly studied wildlife art with Ron Parker.