Raven Skyriver’s “Tyee” Swims into the Gallery, and a Kickstarter for His Glass Studio Build!

With this blown, off-hand sculpted glass masterpiece Raven Skyriver honors the magnificent spring Chinook salmon, known as “tyee” or “the chief” in Nuu-chah-nulth. There is no more important being to the life-cycle of the Northwest than the salmon. It has sustained the orca, the forests, and the native human population of the coast for millennia. The tyee’s life begins in the rivers of the Northwest, and after years at sea it returns to spawn and die in the same river where it was hatched years prior.

The size, complexity, beauty and power of this sculpture is the result of Raven’s lifelong reverence for this great being; the heart and soul of the Pacific Coast. Only an artist of Raven’s calibre and insight could create a work so anatomically and aesthetically perfect.

Raven Skyriver (Tlingit)    Tyee
Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted Glass with Silver Foil, Custom Stand    21″h x 32″w x 7″d   $19,800

 

Raven is making this masterpiece available to help fund the construction of his own hot-shop, which will free him from having to rent glass studio time around the region. This will represent a major step forward in his career. Raven and his family are performing almost every aspect of the manual work to build the studio, a complex and massive undertaking that requires funds, back-breaking work, and careful project management. It is with this in mind that we encourage any collector who has long admired Raven’s blown glass salmon to consider acquiring this incredible work and helping to support him in his quest to complete the studio and realize his dream.

Raven and his partner and fellow glass blower Kelly O’Dell are also raising funds for their studio through a Kickstarter, which is open through April 19, 2018. If you have had the pleasure of meeting these amazing artists in person at our gallery or around the Washington region, then you know what genuine, hard-working people they are. We encourage you to consider donating any amount to this great cause, and helping these professional artists deepen their craft, nurture their little family, and give back to their glass community. (Don’t miss watching their great video on their Kickstarter page!) As of this posting the duo getting close to funding their project, but there are some wonderful rewards–including photo prints, sculptures, magnet sets, etched drinking glasses and more–still up for grabs.