Red Cedar Eagle Mask
Artist: James Bennett
Tlingit Carver
Medium: Red Cedar and Leather
4" wide x 14" long x 4" deep
James is a Tóos’ Déx’i Hít Tlingit artist Born in 1978 in Fairbanks, Alaska. His mother was Inupiaq Eskimo and his Father Tlingit. James spent his younger years living in Fairbanks and Anchorage and moved to Sitka in 1998 to be with his father and distance himself from a troubled youth.
Then James moved to Sitka, his father, George Bennett Sr. a Tlingit bentwood box maker, worked as an interpreter at the Sitka Historical National Park. James began carving wood as way to focus his mind and help him get through his trying times with drugs and alcohol. Though his carving, James has found his path to being a better person and a powerful traditional artist. He has since studied under, and worked with, master carvers Tommy Joseph, Wayne Price and Nick Gallanin.
James cares deeply about the traditions and history of the Tlingit people and shows it in his work creating his stunning pieces by hand using simple tools and traditional techniques