WHO'S ON THE V LIST? - Virani Real Estate Advisors

The fi rst piece Klatle-Bhi ever sold went to gallerist
Douglas Reynolds, who bought it for $800 and re-sold
it for $1,900. He was hesitant at fi rst to go up against
the big-name carvers like Robert Davidson, Joe David
and Bill Reid, but one day realized that if he never tried,
he would never know. Soon after, he quickly sold three
masks and became the apprentice of well-known artist
Simon Dick, who happened to be from the same area as
his grandmother. Working for two years under the master
carver’s watchful eye, Klatle-Bhi’s work rose to the next
level, specifi cally in terms of colour and contemporary
design. He also began putting his own experiences into
the masks. His moon masks became instantly popular
sellers with their calming blue tones. Klatle-Bhi was
approached four years later to do his fi rst exhibition
entitled “The Youngbloods” and featuring the next young
generation of Native American artists. All of his pieces
sold except for one, and ten years later it still remains
unsold. “I think it’s supposed to be a potlatch piece,”
Klatle-Bhi says. “I think it was meant to be somewhere in
a potlatch collection and danced and (remain) part of the
family. One day I might buy it back, fi x it up and give it to
my uncle or my grandmother.”
Klatle-Bhi spent the next few years in the company of
other major carvers and artists but it was apparent that he
had already made a name for himself among his people
and in the art community. His wife Erin, who is Irish, runs
their Spirit Gallery in Horseshoe Bay, and the charmingly
warm couple has a gorgeous brood of children. Klatle-
Bhi’s collection of work ranges from masks, totem poles
and talking sticks to carved pendants, canoes, prints,
paintings and clothing. Pieces from his collection can
be found in galleries and private homes in Vancouver,
Washington, New York, Toronto, Spain and California,
each one telling a story and teaching a valuable lesson.
Klatle-Bhi’s door, when he’s not partaking in his second
love of sport fi shing, is always open.
The artist is currently working on a ghost mask with no
eyes. “In my travels and in my life experiences, I’ve seen
a lot of people who are walking this world with no eyes,”
explains Klatle-Bhi. “All they see is the physical world of
things – they have to do this to get money or my life is bad
or I’m going to beat my wife. They don’t see. They don’t
see themselves, and it’s all about personal development.
If you don’t grow as a human being, then you fail. You fail
in life. We’re here to succeed as human beings. That’s
the key – the spirit.”
It’s a very good thing the world has Klatle-Bhi to show us
the way.