5111-50 Northwest Coast Art; Troy Bellarose, Paddle, 57" x 4 1/2"
c. 2003
Troy Bellerose
Salish/Cree
Troy Bellerose was born in 1970 in Picture Butte, Alberta, Canada. He is a member of the Cree nation of the Plains and the Salish from British Columbia.
Troy has lived in the Pacific Northwest for many years. He was initially seduced by the beauty of the Northwest Coast art forms after befriending many Northwest Coast First Nations artists. One of them was Andrew Morrison, a member of the Nisga’a nation. Andrew taught Troy the basics of carving in the Northwest Coast style—namely the marriage of shapes, forms, and balance to achieve a pleasing finished design.
Troy has become quite skilled in a short amount of time, carving red and yellow cedar into gorgeous forms. His specialty is creating bent boxes in the traditional style—steaming and bending a single plank into the shape of a box. He is known for his crisp, clean designs and carving and attention to detail.