Jimi McKee is Canadian artist born in 1943 in Toronto to John George McKee and Mary Margaret Gough. John George immigrated from Ireland 1907 to Toronto where we worked for the T. Eaton Co. for over 50 years. Mary Margaret was an illustrator, pianist, model, and one of the first women in Canada to fly her own sea plane. Jimi and his brother William were born on 125 Dunvegan Road in Forest Hill and attended Saint Michael's College.
In 1995 Jimi acquired a collection of 218 totem poles from various prominent Canadian tribes, including Kwakiutl and Haida. Researching the history, stylization and symbolic definitions, Jimi restored these and many additional artifacts representing the history of First Nations in Western Canada. With carving artist Wanye Hill, the two went on to create over 225 totems that tell the story of Canadian wildlife, individual family histories, and collaborations with entities such as the Orillia Opera House and the Hospital for Crippled Children in Toronto.
Jimi is available for art consultations and commissions, as well as appraisals and restoration. He is represented in the annually held Images Tour, as well as Starry Nights, and the Coldwater Steam Punk Festival. Jimi is available for art consultations and commissions, as well as appraisals and restoration, for more information or to book a studio visit, get in touch.
See more of Jimi's work here.