Bob Gunning
Bob Gunning is an artist based in Vancouver, known for his detailed oil paintings on canvas. His passion for gardening and vibrant color influences much of his work, with inspiration often blooming right in his backyard. Bob’s realistic style captures intricate detail, but never at the expense of the natural beauty he seeks to express.
Bob’s artistic journey took a significant turn when he began exploring local totem poles and parks. This research led him to Gwaii Haanas National Park and the historic village of Ninstints, home to ancient Haida totem poles. The experience sparked a deep interest in the spiritual and historical significance of Haida Gwaii, inspiring an extensive collection of paintings that honor the region’s cultural heritage and natural splendor.
Many of Bob’s works depict mortuary poles — towering structures that serve as the final resting places for village chiefs. Unlike house or memorial poles, which have largely vanished over time, mortuary poles were crafted from massive trees designed to endure. According to Haida beliefs, a chief’s spirit remains within the pole until it decays and returns to the earth, symbolizing the completion of life’s cycle. Bob’s paintings seek to preserve this connection, capturing both the physical presence and the enduring spirit of these sacred monuments.
An active member of both the Surrey Arts Council and the Langley Arts Council, Bob has exhibited his work in over a dozen shows.
Currently In The Gallery
The Story of Portrait of Bear-with-Faces-on-Paws
The mortuary pole Bear-with-Faces-on-Paws stands in front of what would have been House 16 in Ninstints, Haida Gwaii. Anthropologists have marked this as Mortuary W.
There is no record of why there are faces carved into the paws of the bear, nor do we know the identity of the chief who was buried in the top of this pole. By the time serious work began to create a record of the houses and poles of the village, all but a handful of the villagers had died. A smallpox epidemic wiped most of the population of Haida Gwaii and the few survivors had moved north. By 1890 almost no one was left to tell the story of the village.
The image captured in this painting shows the pole in the mid 20th century, before most of the bottom lip had fallen off. At one point the whole pole was in danger of falling over. Steel cribbing was wrapped around it, it was anchored to the steel, and then the base of the pole was excavated. The large stones that keep the pole were re-positioned, the pole was made vertical, and the soil of replaced. Today it is one of less that a dozen poles that remain vertical out some 28 that originally held the remains of village chiefs in cedar chests placed in the tops of these 20 foot high cedar monuments.
The story of Child of Wisdom
The Haida did not have a written language. All of their history was memorized and communicated orally by elders to the children of the various villages. This was literally a memorization obligation for every child. The history would cover many generations.
The symbolism for this process was carved into the mortuary pole of Chief Xoya. The top figure of the pole is a bear and it is licking the head of the child held in it’s lap. That is the passing of wisdom, the transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next.
This pole stands to the north of House 17 in the village of Ninstints, in Haida Gwaii. It is one of the best preserved poles of was once a series of some 28 mortuary poles. The main purpose of the mortuary poles, apart from venerating the chief, was to be his final resting place. The top of each mortuary pole was carved out so that a cedar chest holding the remains of the chief could be placed there. Once in place, the spirit of the chief would enter the pole. That spirit can only be released when the pole rots and returns to the earth, completing the cycle of life.
