Chris Paul was immersed in Coast Salish art as a child. His uncle, Charles Elliott, was one of his early mentors. Chris trained as an artist at En’owkin and at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Art in ‘Ksan. He apprenticed with the renowned Tsimshian artist, Roy Henry Vickers. Chris works in several media, including cedar, glass, painting, giclée prints, and metal. Chris has created works for several institutions: UVic, Camosun College, Tillicum Mall, Gulf Islands Operation Centre, Victoria Conference Centre, and the Sidney Pier Hotel. His work has also been shown in exhibitions at the following galleries and institutions: the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, The Reach Gallery, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Comox Valley Art Gallery, Stonington Gallery, The Path Gallery, Hill Gallery, Cambridge Art Collection, Inuit Gallery, Royal BC Museum, Douglas Reynolds Gallery, Main Street Gallery, Mark Loria Gallery, Sidney Fine Art Show, and UVic. He also has artwork in the TV shown Grey’s Anatomy and the movie The Last Mimsey. His latest interest is working with metal to create what he describes as “jewelry for buildings.”

Sage Paul is a daughter to Chris Paul. Influenced by the natural world around her, many of her works feature animals brought to life by her unique style and bright color pallets. She has exhibited her work at Alcheringa Gallery, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and UVic Legacy Art Galleries. She is the recipient of the YVR Art Foundation’s Frank O’Neill Award for her sandblasted piece titled Grandpa. In addition to working with glass, Sage creates hand-drawn designs on drums, paper, works in digital formats, and creates moccasins and beaded jewelry.  

Cosiniye Paul is a daughter to Chris Paul. Cosiniye translates to English as Star Woman. This name was given to them by their aunt Linda Elliott. Following the meaning of their name, Cosiniye’s work often features the night sky alongside whimsical woodland creatures. In addition to printmaking, they also work in water colour, and create wood jewelry and sandblasted pieces. Their work has been exhibited in the Mark Loria Gallery and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Liam Paul is a son to Chris Paul. Influenced by his father’s art practice and career, Liam’s work utilizes a traditional Coast Salish style. He focuses on nature themes and uses earthly undertones to bring plants and creatures to life. The majority of Liam’s work consists of digitally drawn prints. He has exhibited his art through the Mark Loria Gallery and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Chris Paul participated in the Visiting Artist Program in 2011.

Family Tree (Exhibition Installation Image to Come)

Family Tree references the ‘roots’ of family. The imagery tells a story about the home Chris has created, and the magical, rich history of the land on which he has raised his children. In the work he reminisces about the significance of the belief in magic through childhood.

Elements of an eagle symbolize the manner in which these birds return to the same nest each year to bring another generation into this world. The foundation for this cycle is a strong and stable tree on which the nest is built. The salmon within the eagle representing each of his children. 

Grandparents (Exhibition Installation Image to Come)

Sage created this panel to honour her grandparents. The loss of her grandparents when she was very young made her find new ways to connect to family and community. Owls are a special animal in her life because for Coast Salish peoples, the represent a visit from a loved one who has passed. The position of the owl’s wings indicates it is dancing. In this way, Sage associates the owl with a traditional dancer in the long house. The T-shape symbol shows the rhythmic movement of these dancers. 

New Generation (Exhibition Installation Image to Come)

Cosiniye made this panel while considering how each generation of a family experiences life differently. The work also references the cycle of life. The circle in the middle of the design represents the egg, the bumps around the outer circle symbolize obstacles in life, and the direction they all face is the future. Generations have significant distinctions between them, an obvious one is age. More important than age in Cosiniye’s opinion, are values. The work suggests that while we may experience life in different ways, together we live and share in the same future.

Hungry Competition (Exhibition Installation Image to Come)

Liam’s piece represents dependence and responsibility within family. While in the process of making the piece, Liam reflected on the growth cycle of birds, particularly their time as young birds, or fledglings. During this time when the young birds are in their most vulnerable state, they have no choice but to depend on their parents. Their parents take on the responsibility of bringing another generation into this world, in the footsteps of their own parents. For this work Liam has brought a touch of abstraction to his usual traditional approach to design.