ABOUT THE ARTIST

“I live through my hands and tools: transforming thick, heavy bone and bronze, meant for massive collisions, into ethereal, otherworldly creations; precious oases in the midst of life.”
SHANE WILSON

artist

Inspired by the North – the beauty and severity of its extremes – Canadian sculptor Shane Wilson breathes life into the discarded outer garments of arctic impermanence: antler, horn, ivory, tusk, bone; and fixes time in the most ancient of enduring alloys – bronze.

His signature style – the cool logic of a mathematician warmed in the guiding hands of a poet – lives in the uneasy conversation between organic and non-organic abstraction.

Originally from Ontario, Wilson moved to northern British Columbia and then to the Yukon during the 1980s. Conversant in more traditional art forms – drawing, painting, clay sculpture – his interest in working with natural media was sparked after attending an exhibition of antler carvings, the rugged and tactile artifacts appealing to his sense of discovery.

After a period of experimentation, Wilson honed the techniques necessary to express his unique vision while exploring the fragile limits of natural media as diverse as fossilized wooly mammoth tusk and whale baleen.

In 2012, Wilson was commissioned by the internationally renowned design firm Yabu Pushelberg to create a signature showpiece for the opening of Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. His stunning ‘Candle Ice Two’ double-antler sculpture graces the west lobby.

Every second summer, he teaches the art of antler carving at Red Deer College, in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

Wilson is currently working on Yukon University’s ceremonial centrepiece (mace), to be premiered during the university’s first graduation in 2020, a carved caribou antler carried in the processional. 

Wilson lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia with his wife Miranda Atwood.

Artist Statement Curriculum Vitae Professional Commentary On Shane Wilson’s Work

press

  • Radio Canada International, February 7, 2016 - 'Shane Wilson - Unique Artist in a Unique Medium' by Marc Montgomery

  • Arabella Magazine, December 2015 - 'Artist to Collect: Shane Wilson - Transforming the Unexpected'

  • Outdoor Lifestyle Magazine Article, April 22, 2015 - ‘Carve: Short Eared Parliament, by Shane Wilson’

  • High Fructose Magazine, May 12, 2015 - ‘Ornate Antler Sculptures by Shane Wilson’

  • Four Seasons Magazine Article, June 10, 2013 - 'True North: The Art Collection at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto Explores the Role of Nature in Canadian Identity’ by Elaine Glusac, New York Times Travel Columnist

  • Branch Magazine - Wild, Featured Artist, Cover, Interview, April 1, 2011 - ‘My favourite interview, period.’

GET IN TOUCH

For more information, or to contact Shane Wilson, please use the form below .

    CONTACT INFO

    Email: shane@shanewilson.com

     

    Phone: (250) 667-4259

     

    Stay in touch on Social Media:

     

    For additional information about the art of carved antler sculpture check out: ANTLERCARVER.COM

     

    AVAILABLE FOR SALE

    To view Shane Wilson work available for purchase and upcoming courses, please select a link below: