Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: A-Z Finished!

Here they are folks, the complete Northwest Natives Alphabet set! An incredible amount of work went into these carvings. I had a lot of fun learning about our native species, some are old favorites and others are completely new to me. The entire set will be on view at an upcoming show in Seattle. Please stop by if you're in town.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm
G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033

Links to individual images of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE 


Letters A-M
A is for Aquilegia (Columbine)
B is for Bald Eagle
C is for Cougar
D is for Dogwood
E is for Elk
F is for Fox
G is for Grizzly Bear
H is for Heron
I is for Iris
J is for Juniper
K is for Killer Whale
L is for Lynx
M is for Mountain Goat


Letters N-Z
N is for Northern Spotted Owl
O is for Otter
P is for Painted Turtle
Q is for Quinault Tribe
R is for Rhododendron
S is for Salmon
T is for Timberwolf
U is for Urchin
V is for Viola
W is for Wolf Eel
X is for Xanthogrammica (Giant Green Anemone)
Y is for Yuma myotis (Vesper Bat)
Z is for Zapus princeps (Western Jumping Mouse)


A-Z: Northwest Natives Alphabet
I would like to make a print of this set available for sale... maybe even a postcard collection of the entire set?  I will keep you guys updated!


I had so much fun w/ this interview, thank you for coming over Nancy!  Check out my quad-chins yo!

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: U-Z

These are the letters U-Z of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set.  The full set will be exhibited at G.Gibson Gallery in Seattle.  Since the show is in the Pacific Northwest I thought I'd make a tribute to my neck of the woods. Every letter is paired with species that is native to the PNW (Pacific Northwest).   Please stop by to see the show if you're in town.

Links to the rest of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE
The entire set can be seen HERE.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm

G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033


U is for Urchin


Urchin 360 View


V is for Viola
There are MANY native violas in the NW.  They are one of my favorite plants in the garden, truly carefree and well adapted to our region.  The flowers are edible, I love candied violets as well.



Viola 360 view
I really enjoyed making these flora-based crayons.  My next alphabet set might have to be plant based...


W is for Wolf Eel
Scientific Name: Anarrhichthys ocellatus
Common Name: Wolf Eel


Wolf Eel 360 View



X is for Xanthogrammica
Scientific Name: Anthopleura xanthogrammica
Common Name: Giant Green Anemone


Xanthogrammica 360 view


Y is for Yuma myotis
Scientific Name: Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis)
Common Name: Vesper Bats or Mouse-eared Bats


Yuma myotis 360 view



Z is for Zapus princeps
Scientific Name: Zapus princeps
Common Name: Western Jumping Mouse


Zapus princeps 360 view

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: N-T

These are the letters N-T of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set.  The full set will be exhibited at G.Gibson Gallery in Seattle.  Since the show is in the Pacific Northwest I thought I'd make a tribute to my neck of the woods. Every letter is paired with species that is native to the PNW (Pacific Northwest).   Please stop by to see the show if you're in town.

Links to the rest of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE
The entire set can be seen HERE.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm

G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033


N is for Northern Spotted Owl
Scientific Name:  Strix occidentalis caurina


Northern Spotted Owl 360 View


O is for Otter
Scientific name: Lontra canadensis
Common Name: North American River Otter


Otter 360 View



P is for Painted Turtle
Scientific name: Chrysemys picta


Painted Turtle 360 View
This is probably my favorite crayon from the set.  I love how ripples turned out.  I carved the turtle on top first, but was unsatisfied with how small it was compared to the whole crayon.  I wanted the carved portion to be larger so I added a pond scene with another turtle, lily pads and rippling water. 


Q is for The Quinault Tribe


Quinault Woman 360 View


R is for Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus with more than a 1000 species, it's also Washington State's state flower. 


Rhododendron 360 View


S is for Salmon


Salmon 360 View


T is for Timberwolf
Scientific name: Canis lupus
Common Name: Timber Wolf, Timberwolf, Grey Wolf or Common Wolf



Timberwolf 360 View

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: H-M

These are the letters H - M of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set.  The full set will be exhibited at G.Gibson Gallery in Seattle.  Since the show is in the Pacific Northwest I thought I'd make a tribute to my neck of the woods. Every letter is paired with species that is native to the PNW (Pacific Northwest).   Please stop by to see the show if you're in town.

Links to the rest of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE
The entire set can be seen HERE.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm

G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033


H is for Heron
Scientific name: Ardea herodias
Common Name: Great Blue Heron


Great Blue Heron 360 View
I actually see these guys regularly.  Their wingspan is AMAZING!


I is for Iris
There are many native irises in the Pacific Northwest.  


Iris 360 View


J is for Juniper
There are 3 native species of Juniper to the NW.
Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)
Common Juniper (Juniperus communis)
Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)


Juniper 360 View
I based this carving off the common juniper.  I was told some juniper berries are edible, but I've never tried it. 


K is for Killer Whale
Scientific name:  Orcinus orca
Common name: Killer Whale, Orca Whale, Orca


Killer Whale
I really had fun doing this guy.  The 2 color combo was a challenge, positioning the whale's body on this crayon was also hard.  I finally just took some liberties and placed his dorsal fin on top of his head.


L is for Lynx
Scientific name: Lynx canadensis
Common name: Canadian Lynx


Lynx 360 View



M is for Mountain Goat
Scientific name: Oreamnos americanus
Common name: Mountain Goat or Rocky Mountain Goat

I do not have a 360 view of the goat yet.  Will post it as soon as I can.

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: A-G

I've been working on a new alphabet set for an upcoming show in Seattle.  Since the show is in the Pacific Northwest I thought I'd make a tribute to my neck of the woods.  Every letter is paired with species that is native to the PNW (Pacific Northwest).  It was a really fun project to put together and learned a lot about the local wild life... X and Z were especially hard to find.  Please stop by to see the show if you're in town.  More letters to come!

Links to the rest of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE
The entire set can be seen HERE.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm

G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033


A is for Aquilegia (Columbine)
Aquilegia canadensis L. 
Common names include Eastern red columbine or Wild red columbine.  Found in most of North America. 


I grow these in my garden, they're really beautiful and like most native plants they require very little maintenance.


B is for Bald Eagle
Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
They can be found year round in the PNW.  I marvel when I see them in real life, most of the time it's crossing the 520 or perched on a log in Puget Sound.


Bald Eagle 360 view


C is for Cougar
Scientific name: Puma concolor


Cougar 360 view


D is for Dogwood
Scientific name: Cornus nuttallii
Common name: Pacific Dogwood


Dogwood 360 view
It's amazing to see the Pacific Dogwood tree flower.  They live under the forest's canopy, but are fairly tall themselves.  When flowering their white blooms POP against the forest's deep emerald background.  You can't NOT look.


E is for Elk
Scientific name: Cervus canadensis


Elk 360 View
I'm really happy with how this carving came out.  I'm especially proud of the antlers and fur texture.


F is for Fox
Scientific name:Vulpes vulpes
Common name: Red Fox


Fox 360 View
I styled this fox after the Japanese Kitsune statues.


G is for Grizzly
Scientific name: Ursus arctos
Common name: Grizzly Bear or North American Brown Bear


Grizzly 360 View
You'll notice he's holding a fish in his paws.