Joel Good
Joel Good is a traditional Coast Salish artist, from the Snuneymuxn (Nanaimo) First Nation. He resides in Nanaimo, B.C., where he attends Vancouver Island University as a student, and carves to engage his passion for this rare, seldom practiced art form.
His works in the original Coast Salish style, one that has been revitalized by his father and mentor, Master Carver and historian, William Good. all of Joel’s designs are derived from the traditional legends taught to him and through extensive research into the original archived style. Another significant source of inspiration is his mother, artist and painter, Sandra Moorhouse Good, who herself had been trained as a classical painter by her grandfather.
As a child, Joel grew up in an art studio where his parents predicted and sold artwork, and provided for their large combined family. They had stations for many art forms, including painting, printmaking, pottery, and carving.Among many other media, Joel practiced sketching where he learned the importance of accurate design. As a teenager , his parents ran a successful wholesale and retail art business where they produced a line of Coast Salish clothing and jewellery under the name of “Ay Ay Mut”. Although his teachings were broadened to have a greater understanding of art in multiple media, he made the decision upon embarking onto his art quest to practice the traditional Coast Salish style.
Joel carves in red and yellow cedar, and mixes his paints in the traditional coast Salish colours (black, white, red, yellow, and teal). He bends his own steam bent wood boxes in the customary style of his tribe. Joel’s artwork is the perfect combination of his traditional Coast Salish roots and his family’s classical painting origin. He uses all of his influences to have his own unique traditional style, which blends the teachings of both of his parents. He combines accuracy, passion, and inspiration to create every masterpiece.