Sonny Grant

Background

About Sonny Grant

I view the world as one great living sculpture, natural and manmade. Beauty and harmony is the essence that I seek in my art. My sources of inspiration have always been nature herself; forms shaped by running water, glaciers, and the springtime growth of life. Classical, abstract, and Native American art, are the guides of my inspiration. Capturing one dynamic, feeling life is my goal in sculpture. I am Tlingit Indian of the Kaagwaantaan clan from the Chilkat Valley, born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. Great grandson to Jenny Thlunaut of Klukwan-Master Chilkat Blanket weaver; grandson to Austin Hammond of Haines, chief of the Sockeye Clan; grandson to Willie Grant (Cowboy Shan) of Kake; and son to Edward Grant of Juneau. My grandfathers and father taught me to remember the stories and the traditional way of life as a Tlingit. With a love of the outdoors; I focused on the natural sciences and computer graphics in college. I lived in San Francisco, working as a freelance graphic designer. I moved back to Alaska with a deeper understanding of myself, appreciating the natural beauty of my ancestral home. At home, I decided to focus only on stone carving. I apprentice with master sculptor Simon Koonook, an Inupiaq Eskimo from Point Hope for three and a half years. I learned the traditional art of Alaska stone carving in the mediums of soapstone, alabaster, and marble. In Anchorage, I studied with Simon’s teachers George John of Saint Mary, Patrick Mezzena of King Island, both Inupiaq Eskimo carvers. With their careful instruction, I learned many styles and techniques. My style of carving is partly a result of my apprenticeships and experiences of working with other artists in different mediums. In the course of my study of sculpture, I have traveled and lived in these sites of interest: Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Quebec, Mexico, Belize, Germany, Czech Republic, and Italy.