 "The Raven"
Teddy Mahood Teddy began his early career as a social worker by opening and eventually running 3 halfway houses in the Vancouver B.C. area. He worked for BC and Federal Corrections running workshops like the Scared Straight program; and for a while he was nighttime supervisor at A.I.M.S. (Allied Indian Metis Society) House in Vancouver. After 23 years of this, he "needed out" and bought a home and property on Denman Island, BC. Surrounded by nature, with 'free wood' available on the beaches and in slash piles on logging sites, he was inspired to start carving with whatever wood he could bring home. Carvings By Theo His first major sale was this standing sculpture, "The Raven". In this piece, Teddy wanted to represent three centuries of Native Art. He used stone tools in one section, metal tools on another, and silkscreen for the third. Smithsonian Sale He had The Raven and a few other pieces in The Trading Post Gallery in Victoria, BC., when the curator for Washington DC's Smithsonian Institute was seeking pieces for a travelling exhibit of North West Coast Native art. "Due to public acclaim", the curator said in a phone call, "we have had it on display in the entrance foyer of our Northwest Coast Native exhibit". The curator felt Teddy's sculpture "represented a New Direction in Native Art." Teddy's art pieces are now enjoyed world-wide, to both private and corporate clients. Media Over the years he has been featured on Victoria TV, BCTV and in numerous publications such as the Vancouver Sun, The Province, and the Seattle Times. For four of their five years in Lone Butte, Laurie submitted articles and images to a local 100 Mile House newspaper. In 1996, Teddy accepted a commisson for murals and door project for a private home in Whistler. He began creating murals that covered whole walls, and an over-sized, double sided carved door of bentwood box design. Marriage Friends for 20 years, he married graphic artist and professional portrait photographer, Laurie Roth on June 24, 2000 at their home on Denman Island.. Laurie (Roth) Mahood Laurie was one of Vancouver's first women professional portrait photographers working on her own. She was also a custom print technician for colour and B&W prints; a retouch artist and teacher of retouching at a small Vancouver photography school. Color! The artwork began to see COLOR! Previously, Teddy had mainly stayed with red mahogany and black walnut stains, and natural wood (red, black and white); with the occasional use of natural stains like strong coffee and concentrated beet juice. Clients started asking for Color, and Laurie delivered. PNE Prize Home The Mahoods were the Featured Sculptors in Vancouver's 2001 P.N.E. Prize Home, during Vancouver's big Fall Fair and Exhibition. Tragically, 9/11 happened before the contracts were signed, and as a personal consequence, all their sales and contracts - changed their minds and canceled. 2005 Teddy and Laurie sold their 10 acre Denman Island paradise and moved to Lone Butte, near 100 Mile House, BC, buying a big commercial building and opening their Gallery. Most big sales still happened during sales trips to Vancouver and Whistler, so when Family Called, Teddy and Laurie, moved to the beautiful Kootenay region of British Columbia and now live in the remote community of Kingsgate, near Creston. They both do design. Teddy does most of the carving, burning, wire brushing and sanding, and Laurie also carves, and does final carving and cleaning and adds color to their creations with paint and stain. They enjoy a quiet life surrounded by nature, with their Great Danes. Shown here are 2 generations with Alixx (mantle) and her son, Apache Sioux (harlequin); and newcomer, Coco (fawn harlequin). Now and then, they raise a litter of puppies. *Health Update* In late October, 2020, Teddy, who turned 76 that summer, had a minor stroke. He has mostly recovered, is getting some speech therapy, and is taking it easy. Teddy and Laurie do plan a few art projects this winter, and are working on writing a series of pod casts teaching their style of carving and finishing. The summer of 2021 is being spent on their home. Painting and decorating the exterior of their buildings. Fences with bentwood gateways, and a Feature Wall on the garage are planned. If a workshop can be put together before Winter sets in, we will have a location for shooting video this winter and spring. |
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Photography by Laurie Mahood, with contributions from Snowdragon Photography.
