In 1972, while earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Seattle's University of Washington, James P. Bender began carving Northwest Native American art. During his early years, he studied under Bill Holm and Duane Pasco, noted artists who have made major contributions to the revival of Northwest Indian art. In appreciation of those who shared their artistry with him during his apprenticeship, James P. Bender continues to pass on his craft by remaining active in the teaching of others.

• INSTRUCTION :

  • JAMES P. BENDER, ARTIST, Bainbridge Island, WA 1980 - Present
    • Teacher of Contemporary Northwest Coast Art and Jewelry Making.
  • Wolfdancer Studio / Kestral Tool, Lopez Island, WA 1982 - Present
    • Teacher of Contemporary Northwest Coast Art and Jewelry Making.
  • Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA 1984
    • Demonstration - Silver Engraving
  • Ketchikan Heritage Center, Ketchikan, Alaska 1981
    • Teacher Of Mask Carving And Two Dimensional Design Courses.
  • Primitive Arts Gallery, Seattle, Wa 1974-1977 Exclusive Rights
  • Northwest Coast Art Classes at Oil & Water Arts, Bainbridge Island
  • Bellevue Spiritridge School 5th Grade Art Class – Clan Designs For Bent Wood Box.

• Education And Apprenticeship
   
  • University Of Washington, Seattle, WA
    • Bachelor Of Fine Arts Degree, 1975
  • University Of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA School Of Art, 1969 – 1971
  • Duane Pasco, Artist, Poulsbo, Wa 1973-1978
    • Apprentice Under Noted And Respected Contemporary Northwest Coast Artist.

Among James P. Bender's most celebrated pieces are the artist's two fifty-foot totem poles located at Victor Steinbrueck Park in Seattle's Pike Place Public Market, and five totem poles at Seven Cedars Casino in Sequim, Washington. Renowned for their elegance and sensuality, the totem poles are recognized among the finest, most viewed, examples of contemporary Northwest Coastal Indian Art in the United States today. Highlights of several of James P. Bender's major works can be found in the Projects Page.

• Major Works of James P. Bender :

  ---

  • Cast Bronze Works:
    For several years now, Mr. Bender has been experimenting with using Cast Bronze as a medium for his designs. This has brought a whole new look to his art.

    ---

  • Pike Place Public Market:
    A City of Seattle Public Arts Commission project at Seattle's Pike Place Public Market located in Victor Steinbrueck Park.

    ---

  • The Ichthyology Lodge:
    James P. Bender hasdon a number of projects for IslandWood – A School in the Woods on Bainbridge Island. Among the most recent is his art in the The Ichthyology Lodge.

    ---

The artist works with a wide variety of mediums. These include a variety of woods such as cedar, maple, alder, yew wood and yellow cedar, which James P. Bender uses in his creation of Totem Poles, Transformation Masks, Boxes and Bowls, and his Architectural Installations.

James P. Bender also works with a number of precious and semi-precious metals such as gold and silver, copper, and most recently, Cast Bronze; in addition to these, Mr. Bender uses materials such as cedar bark, abalone, ivory, feathers, leather, and mirrors, for accent in his artwork. The materials can all be used in Transformation Masks, gold and silver, copper, and Cast Bronze renderings of Mr. Bender's pieces.

James P. Bender works in a wide variety of scale. These range from his Totem Poles, which are as large as fifty feet in height, to incredible small, detailed, silver and gold work in his Jewelry work.

However, almost all of his pieces – be they large Totem Poles, Small pieces of Jewelry work, or somewhere in between – are a combination of scales and detail.