Loren White

Loren White is one of the Northwest Coast’s leading carvers. He came to woodcarving as a young man and has been with it ever since. He saw his first totem pole on Vancouver Island in 1967 and was excited by the massive scale in which such a finely executed design could be both conceived and realized. Just a few years later, Loren dedicated himself full time to his passion for carving.

The body of Loren’s work consists of masks, totem poles, house posts, bentwood boxes and chests, rattles, ladles and bowls. Museums, galleries and individuals in both the United States and Canada have collected his work. He often works on larger projects collectively with other artists, completing over twenty poles and houseposts in the last twenty-five years. He has carved with fellow artists and friends: Joe David, Art Thompson, Duane Pasco, and Steve Brown, just to name a few.

Since 1986, Loren has taught Northwest Coast carving, tool-making, and drum-making a the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribal School and the Wolf Dancer School in Washington, the Cambridge Arts Council Arts-in-the-School program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and at the Ojai Foundation and the Sonoma Community Center in California. His teaching and his work continue to inspire both experienced and up-and-coming artists. Loren imbues each of his pieces with a passionate virtuosity, where technique and tradition come together with movement and life.