Charles Joseph

Charles was raised by his great grandparents, Charles and Minnie Dick, in a village located on Turnour Island. They played an important role, along with his father, in bringing Charles up with the knowledge of his heritage, spoken language and dance performing ability.

After relocating to Alert Bay, Charles began carving with his grandfather, Harry Joseph, and with his belated cousins, Roy Speck and Joe Peters. He often carved in a group setting with his stepfather, Gordon Twance Sr., Terri Isaac and Simon Dick. At that time, Charles pursued carving only on a part-time basis but experienced first hand the way to achieve refinement in his work.

Charles attended a course dedicated to improving his carving technique at the Musgamagw Tsawataianeuk Council where he was instructed and inspired by master carvers, Wayne Alfred and Beau Dick. Beau Dick instructed Charles along with a few other students, on the methods of carving a full-size canoe. This greatly inspired Charles to pursue pieces of a larger scale and further improved his knowledge and versatility as an artist. Often, Charles challenges himself by creating more elaborate pieces that are functional, highly refined and stylistically traditional.