Stan Hunt
Stan C Hunt is the youngest son of master carver, Henry Hunt and currently works at his studio in Fort Rupert, BC. His grandfather, Mungo Martin is widely credited with saving Kwakwaka'wakw art from extinction in the early part of the century. Mungo Martin also provided the link with tradition for the family; from his songs sung around the kitchen table to the extravagant ceremonies of the potlatch.
His father, Henry Hunt, was a renowned master carver who worked at the Royal British Columbia Provincial Museum in Victoria for many years. His older brothers, Tony and Richard Hunt, are among the leading artists in the Kwakwaka'wakw form. Stan was born in Victoria on September 25th, 1954 while his father was working for the Royal British Columbia Museum.
At the age of ten, Stan danced as a Hamatsa for the first time, it was then that he understood the importance to learn and acknowledge the rituals of the Kwakwaka'wakw people. When Stan was younger he carved toy boats and canoes. In 1976 he went to see his father Henry in his carving shed and asked if he could be a carver. His father replied, "The first thing you have to do is make your own tools." With the support, encouragement and guidance from his father, he spent the next three years learning knife techniques and carving plaques for the Victoria tourist trade. He also assisted his father in the carving of six totem poles. Stan's interpretation of the Kwakwaka'wakw style is starkly traditional. No power tools or sandpaper are used; only the traditional tools, the adze, curved knife and straight knife.
The images are original but with traditional roots in stories of the Kwakwaka'wakw people; images passed down from one generation to the next. He spends numerous hours in his studio teaching young artists what he learned from his father. He has great patience and is a mentor to those who work with him and takes his responsibility seriously, ensuring that the apprentices remain dedicated to quality and remain traditional within the cultural boundaries while expressing their own artistic talent.
In the summer of 2008, Stan completed three-foot totem poles for a private commission in Australia. He also carved a 15' totem, a 6' totem and a 4 1/2' totem that will be installed on a 197' yacht, the first of this type of project for him, but he is confident that the concept will be well received in the yachting community. "*quoted from Stan Hunt's website"
