Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 29/99) - Can you separate the art from the artist? The answer is, of course, yes and no.

Yes, because you can buy it. No, because the artist puts part of his or her soul into each piece they create.

This must be true of Dempsey Bob, a national treasure -- or is his art a national treasure? Surely it's both.

Bob's work, which combines tradition and innovation, often tells a story.

One of his works, a wood-carved panel called "The Good Luck Story," depicts a blind, old man, left behind because others, who had moved on, wrongly thought the old man was of no use.

"The bear would scoop salmon out to the man. The eagle dropped salmon down to him," Bob, describing his work, explains.

Then, famine came for the people who had moved on. Starving, they came back to find the old man had a smokehouse full of fish. It's a story that teaches respect for elders, he says.

Bob spoke last Wednesday at the Business of Arts conference in Yellowknife.

Born at Telegraph Creek on the Stikine River, Bob now lives in Prince Rupert, B.C. He started carving in 1969 and has been teaching since 1972.

Much of his work is held by private collectors -- a gold piece surrounded by abalone sold for $50,000 -- but travellers moving through the Vancouver airport can see the depth of his talent. A carved mask, measuring about one metre by two metres, is on display there.

Another way to measure his talent is by the success of his shows. Twice Bob has had art shows which have generated $500,000.

But his work has not always commanded high prices. He remembers trying, unsuccessfully, to get people to buy small works for just $3. He found himself "starving in carving."

But, he adds, the carvers of the Pacific Northwest looked to the U.S. and Europe for buyers and made the effort to get their works out there.

"Our art is going all over the world. We (artists) worked together."

Bob believes there is much more opportunity for the art of the western NWT.

"The art (here) is good. It has to be developed, promoted and shown properly."

In connection with the conference, sponsored by the Dene Cultural Institute, RWED and the Aboriginal Business of Canada, the public had a chance to see a variety of Dene art last Friday at the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre in Yellowknife.