David Conley
Born in the Rockies of northern Idaho I moved to Vancouver with my family at age 14. After high school and a couple of failed attempts at an arts degree I settled on a trade in carpentry, which set me to carving wood.
I have always been a wood carver. In Vancouver in the late 70s I began selling carvings and turned objects from my shop on Granville Island, and in shops and galleries in the Kitsalano area. I was a member of the B.C. Craft Association and had my work in their annual publication. I also took full advantage of the Emily Carr School of Fine Art just across the street.
I moved back to the Yukon in 1985: my first trip to the Yukon had been in the late 1960s to Keno City. In 1985 I started work as a carpenter in Dawson City, eventually running my own cabinet shop making custom built furniture. My cabinet making brought me to Pelly Crossing in 1990 and I have resided in this area since then.
In mid 2002 I became an artist first and a tradesmen second. In 2003 I was the runner up in the People's Choice Award at the Points of View show by the Arts Society. I had a month long show in the Grotto at the Arts Centre and was invited to theYukon River Arts Festival in Dawson. This year my spirit cage won the People's Choice Award at the Art Society's Points of View show.