Shane Tweten

          Born in 1975 and raised in British Columbia, Shane Tweten currently resides on Bowen Island, with his wife Julia and their twin daughters Piper and Paige. He owns and operates a small tree and landscape business as well as making a name in the art world. 

 He was influenced by specialized art classes taken in secondary school, one dealing, strictly with 2D art, the other with 3D art. Three dimensional art was preferred and even after high school he continued to work with such mediums as clay and wood.

          Working as an arborist has led him to a passion for woodcarving, self taught at carving with a chainsaw. Influenced by the Northwest Coast style, Shane has learned mask carving and toolmanship in the Nisga’a , Tlingit and Tsimshian  methods,  from local artist Robert Barratt, who apprenticed under world famous carvers Norman Tait and Lucinda Turner. Traditions, history and style were also learnt from Simon Dick James and his son Simon Daniel James, both Kwakawaka’wakw dancers, carvers and teachers. Working close to Simon gave Shane the opportunity to learn techniques, stories and culture of the Kwakwaka’wakw people, first hand.

Shane is an emerging artist that continues to carve with passion and exploration, and feels that carving is a way to pay homage or tribute to cultures, heritage, environment and art itself. He applies his knowledge to his style and has introduced elements of his own Irish, Scottish and Norwegian decent and feels the Celtic mythology and legends hold such a vast, almost unexplored possibilities when applied to wood carving.

 

Shane believes that there are no boundaries in woodcarving art; that the forms and faces are already present in the wood just waiting to be found.