Artist Photo – Don Yeomans
Don Yeomans is one of the most highly respected artists on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. He was born 1958 in Prince Rupert, B.C. of a Masset Haida father and a Metis mother from Slave Lake, Alberta.
In 1970-71 Yeomans apprenticed under the expert guidance of his aunt, Haida carver Freda Diesing. He continued to work on his own until 1976 when he enrolled in the Fine Arts Program at Vancouver Community College. He also studied Fine Arts at Langara College, where he met Bud Mintz, who was to become an important friend and mentor. In 1978, Yeomans assisted Robert Davidson in the building and carving of four Haida houseposts of the Charles Edenshaw Memorial Longhouse in Masset. During a two-year period he studied jewellery-making under Phil Janze. He has also been influenced by Gerry Marks, Beau Dick and Norman Tait.
Yeomans’ many apprenticeships have resulted in an artist/craftsman who produces exquisite artworks in any medium. His carving skills, whether on wood or metal, are exceptional and are enhanced by his consummate understanding of the Haida form. His flat designs have been reproduced in the form of prints, murals, elegant silk neck ties and button blankets (sewn by his wife Trace).
Yeomans’ work can be found in the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology, the Royal British Columbia Museum and many other famous public institutions. His work is also to be found in many important private collections on a worldwide basis.
