Paul, Chris
Chris Paul born 1969 in Brentwood Bay BC, is a member of the Coast Salish Tsartlip nation. He was raised in a proud, loving family entrenched in a culture rich in stories, traditions and rituals. However, Chris’ own admiration of Coast Salish art began in 1995, when at age 26 he apprenticed with Floyd Joseph. Sparked by personal drive, enthusiasm and an insatiable thirst for a clearer understanding of West Coast Art, he studied the art of Charles Elliott, Susan Point, Mark Preston, Joe Wilson, Bill Reid, Robert Davidson and Roy Henry Vickers. Also in 1995, Chris began a lifelong friendship with Vickers who agreed to provide him an apprenticeship provided he first spend a year at ‘Ksan, a native art school in Haselton, BC.
At 30, having satisfied Vickers’s request, Chris began an intense, two-year apprenticeship with Vickers, where he honed his skills as artist and businessman. Chris emerged from the two apprenticeships with his own style of expression and presentation, a style that reveals a heritage depicted in strong modern colours giving it global appeal. For Chris, his culture evokes the spirit of his art. As a member of the Saanich Nation, Chris’ style is a unique, refreshing combination of traditional and contemporary aboriginal design deeply rooted in a family and culture that knows and understands man’s position in his family, his community and his natural surroundings.