Phil Jones – Ojibway Soapstone Carver
Phil Jones is an Ojibway artist from Garden River, Ontario, known for carving expressive sculptures in soapstone. His work draws on Indigenous culture, the natural world, and Woodland-inspired imagery, while his broader work includes sharing cultural knowledge with younger generations.
About Phil Jones
Soapstone Carvings by Phil Jones
Soapstone is at the centre of Phil Jones’s artistic practice. Through carving, he creates compact sculptural forms that bring together animals, human figures, and imagery connected to Indigenous culture and storytelling.
The works presented by Friends United include sculptures such as Eagle, Pale Hawk, Deer Clan, Nookomis or Grandmother, Eagle Spirit, and Miishu-biizhu or The Great Lynx. Together, they show the range of forms and subjects found throughout Jones’s carving.
Work, Culture, and Knowledge Sharing
Phil Jones’s work extends beyond the creation of sculpture. Carving is also part of his connection to Indigenous culture and his efforts to share knowledge with younger generations. The documentary Phil Jones – Carving for Culture follows this aspect of his work and describes his role as a Knowledge Keeper supporting Indigenous youth in exploring their identity and heritage.
Jones has also received recognition for his sculpture. In 2014, Warriors of the Wind was awarded Best in Show at the Art Gallery of Algoma’s first Winter Festival of the Arts. Speaking about the soapstone sculpture, Jones explained that the work brought together human and eagle spirit and noted the importance of Woodland style within his practice.
The collection presented by Friends United provides another view into this practice, bringing together carvings centred on animals, human forms, family and culturally rooted subjects.