Lot #73: First Nations Cedar & Copper Box - Bill Helin, with signature

First Nations Cedar & Copper Box - Bill Helin signed

3.5 x 3 x 2.5 D inches - Vintage - as new

Bill Helin is of Tsimshian/Norwegian descent and is a member of the Tsimshian Nation, born and raised in the Northwest Coastal community of Prince Rupert, BC.  His father was Arthur Helin, his Grandfather Henry William Helin, was Chief of the Gitlan Tribe, and his Grandmother Maud Helin, was Chief of the Gitgeese Tribe. Bill spent many hours listening to his grandmother in wonder, as she told him many Legends of the Tsimshian People.  By the time he was three, he was already drawing and it wasn't long before he was amusing his family, friends and teachers with caricatures and cartoons. For the most part Bill is a self-taught artist. He learned from books, and was soon mastering techniques such as three-dimensional forming, called repousse. In the 1980s Bill was sponsored to go to K'San, BC's famous Indian Art and Carving School in Hazleton. In February 1988, Bill attended the renowned Gemology Institute of America in Santa Monica, California, completing advanced courses in gold smithing and gem setting. Today he lives and works from his studio/home on Vancouver Island.