Luke Marston

Coast Salish

Luke Marston was born in 1976 to carvers Jane and David Marston. They introduced Luke to the art and skill of carving, although he also sought guidance from Haida/Nisga’a artist Wayne Young, who helped him refine his craft. He worked with Coast Salish artist Simon Charlie, who, in addition to assisting Luke with his art, also shared information about his people’s history and traditional stories. He went on to work for five years at Thunderbird Park at the Royal British Columbia Museum, alongside Jonathan Henderson, Sean Whonnock, Sean Karpes and his father, David Marston.

Relentlessly working to broaden his horizons, he has explored stone carving, painting, jewelry and printmaking; however the majority of Luke’s work is created in wood. Luke also is continually influenced and inspired by traditional Salish art and design, but he brings his own contemporary style to his art.

He had the chance to assist his previous mentor, Simon Charlie, on a project for a school in Seattle in 1999. He has exhibited at galleries in Victoria since 2000, and recently had the chance to exhibit at the Canadian Embassy in Japan in 2008. Since then he has been busy with important commissions for the Canadian Department of Indian Affairs, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and Vancouver airport. Luke enjoys spending his summers at the Royal British Columbia Museum, where he studies the museums archives and collections, and demonstrates carving with Kwakwaka’wakw carver Shawn Karpes. Luke wants to preserve his culture and share it with others through his art.

“I am inspired by the legacy of my ancestors. My work is a reflection of the respect I feel for the master carvers of long ago. I believe as an artist, that we have to find a balance between traditional and contemporary art, and at the same time evolve and grow as Coast Salish people.”