Tzinquaw/Dragon Bracelet

Coast Salish artist Luke Marston, born in 1976, has grown up in a family of artists and has been carving since he was a child. Both his parents, Jane and David Marston, are experienced carvers who provided Luke with his introduction to the art and skill of carving. He credits his Mother, his Father and nature as his first teachers.

When Luke first began to carve he sought guidance from Nisga'a carver, Wayne Young. Simon Charlie has also been an influential teacher and Luke assisted him in the creation of four house posts. More recently he has been working at Thunderbird Park and has been influenced by artists there, in particular, Shawn Karpes. In addition to his wood carving, Luke enjoys the medium of silver for expressing the legends and designs of the Coast Salish people.

Luke has chosen to create art as his career. By doing this he feels fortunate to participate in keeping the culture alive. For Luke, doing art is both a challenge and a satisfying career. He spends a lot of time studying the old pieces of art and then using his artistic intuition and skill to put the designs into his out style.