Charles Turner : Biography

I started working earnestly in wood when I arrived in Skagway , Alaska . I was introduced to the Western Hemlock tree and its friendly carving nature. The sea and fresh water fish and mammals that I sculpt from the Hemlock wood are a natural mixture for me in terms of my zeal for the intense concentration required by each fish and my appreciation for the mammal and fish life that fill the northern salt and fresh waters in Alaska. I have always been an avid angler and appreciate the variety of color, shape and flavor of my daily catches.

Every where I went on my fishing trips I would notice that there was a mounted Salmon or Pike on the walls of restaurants, lodges and in homes. It was just a matter of time before I put my hand to the wood and sculpted my first Sockeye Salmon wall hanging.

When people come to me and ask that I sculpt a fish or whale that they have seen while visiting the North country , I am always excited by the challenge to give them a carving that will remind them of the diversity and beauty of the North’s world class charm.