Trying to Identify Haida Artist

Anyone recognize the artist's sig?

I'm thinking Komokwa may have an idea.

Also, is it an Orcha?

Thanks!

 

Looks like Foulkes

 

@komokwa

 

Is this a painting on a piece of paneling? Size? Could we see the entire item please?

Orca, not Orcha.

 

It is an orca; note the blowhole. Though generally Northwest Coast Native in style, it is not specifically Haida. It looks like it may possibly be one of many designs that are silk-screened onto flat wood panels and used as sliding tops for boxes of smoked salmon, often found in gift shops and even grocery stores. M. Foulkes is the name, but I don't recall anything about him/her.

 

yup yup and yup.....all fakes !!

It does have a northern style to it , and since I'd know most producing artists from that period.....Except the Alaskan , & Washington State artists , many of whom came and went, or produced work that stayed in their marketplace ...I can't say I recognize the name !

 

Most such boxes feature salmon designs of course, but similar boxes are sold for other purposes, and people get tired of nothing but salmon designs. Usually advertising for such items does not emphasize the artist's name, though occasionally one will find pretty good artists on those boxes; Danny Dennis has done quite a few, and I've seen some by Don Yeomans. Note the weight and balance of Yeomans' black form-lines in the example below; the way the white relief areas (trigons, crescents, and u-shapes) define and balance the black form-lines; the expressiveness of the faces; the salmon-egg tucked between the tails; the sophisticated near-symmetry, where one first sees it as symmetrical, and only later notices the slight differences between the left and right salmon, indicating male and female salmon. He does good work.

 

he does.....some of the best work........ever !

 

people get tired of nothing but salmon designs

well ya...but the boxes...like the one you show.....held....Salmon......so those boxes show at least...some kind of salmon design...

 

And if there were an orca on the box, one might expect the box to contain whale-meat....but they are a good size for scarves also....for example.

 

eagle meat ???????

 

On a box--will get more pics shortly

 

It's about 13.25" x 7.5" x 4.25" and weighs about a pound, if that (pretty light wood). Pics attached

 

red cedar is pretty light weight........

 

It sure looks like a box for something sold at a "Made in Washington" store.

 

I'll stick with my comments above; possibly originally contained smoked salmon, or just sold as a general-purpose box; and very well could have been sold at a "made-in-Washington" store.

 

Thanks everyone for your feedback!