Jim Charlie was born on the Capilano Reserve in North Vancouver, BC. Being of Coast Salish heritage, Charlie is a member of the Squamish Nation, whose territory stretches from North and West Vancouver to Whistler, BC. Jim Charlie is the great-grandson of Jericho Charlie, the namesake of Jericho Beach in Vancouver. As the grandson of the late Dominic Charlie, an accomplished carver, Jim was educated in the histories and culture of the Salish peoples throughout his youth. He has been inspired by those traditions in his artwork and has taken the Thunderbird and grizzly bear as his family crests in honour of his grandfather and grandmother, respectively. Charlie began carving in his adolescence and has been creating Northwest Coast art for over three decades, almost exclusively in wood. Over the years, he has studied under Salish carvers Floyd Joseph and Jacob Lewis, as well as the renowned Gitksan artist Phil Janze. Charlie’s work represents a variety of Northwest Coast legends and is notable for its broad and accessible style. He has exhibited pieces at the Seattle Art Fair and most recently completed a commission at the Vancouver International Airport.
