Pacific Northwest Native American Art Ideas

We welcome readers to experience the Pacific Northwest Coast traditional Indigenous cultural business and also ceremonies of the Potlatch. Here, family, friends and guests do not bring or give gifts. Every witness to the wedding, naming, memorial, birth, listing of family connections and rights, story-telling or history-telling ceremonies leaves with a gift from the family that asks them to remember the detailed story of this particular Potlatch.

Beginner “Mistakes” in Pacific Northwest Coast Art In many abstract artforms, a “mistake” is only a mistake if you interpret it that way. And to a certain extent, you can say the same about Pacific Northwest Coast art. For example, maybe a “mistake” in a particular Pacific Northwest Coast art piece is actually a well-thought-out variation that makes that piece unique and special. Maybe the “mistakes” show the artist’s journey, choices, and story, and that’s what makes it valuable to you. On the other hand, we know there are foundational building blocks and basics in Northwest Coast art formline elements...

It’s amazing to see what Raven Publishing’s customers have created over the years with the help of the “Learning By” series From wood carvings and painted paddles to quilting and glasswork, our customers’ artwork spans many different mediums! Over the years, we’ve seen artists, art students, and craftspeople use our ‘Learning By’ Series of books to inform their Pacific Northwest Native Art-style pieces in fabric, embroidery, metal, pottery, glass, precious metals, paintings, and original graphics (just to name a few).

This is a Northwest Coast art-style potlatch pole top, designed by Jim Gilbert. At the top of the pole are human "watchers" or "The Watchmen," who are lookouts in the various directions seeking to warn and protect the village from enemies. 

Before we did a major overhaul of Raven Publishing’s website, the following excerpt was on our homepage. It was there for a reason. This excerpt shows our endless gratitude to and acknowledgement of our family and friends and the First Nations artists and colleagues who informed the knowledge and designs in our books about Native American and First Nations art of the Pacific Northwest.