CARVERS
Doug Lafortune
Doug
Lafortune was born in 1953, in Bellingham, Washington. He was raised
near Victoria on Vancouver Island, B.C., where he attended High School
and later studied Fine Art at Camosun College. Uncertain of what he
wanted to do, he went logging until 1972, when a visit to Simon Charlie
at Kohsilah kindled a desire to carve. Simon, already a world renowned
artist, took Doug on as an apprentice, and it was here with Simon's
teaching and influence, that Doug developed his unique and successful
style.
Doug
has carved many pieces, from a 14 foot totem, to masks, feast dishes,
talking sticks, rattles and animal figures. He also does a lot of design
sketching and painting. This has led to the release of several silkscreen
prints, one of the most striking being the "Cowichan Crest".
