Doug is a Kwakwaka'wakw carver and artist whose early formal instruction in traditional art came at the hand of Chief Mungo Martin in the mid 1950's. Cranmer is one of the first in a long lineage of contemporary artists to be inspired and instructed by the man many people claim was responsible for the resurgence of Northwest Coast Indian art.
In the late 1950s Cranmer and Haida artist Bill Reid worked together on a major project at the University of BC. The two men carved several totem poles and constructed two houses in the Haida style for a permanent exhibit celebrating Northwest Coast monumental sculpture and architecture.
During his association with Reid, Cranmer expanded his understanding of Kwakwaka'wakw two dimensional design to include the northern variations as expressed by Tsimshian, Tlingit, Heiltsuk and Haida artistic traditions. By 1960 Cranmer was well established as an independent artist and he produced major sculptural works in his own tribal style for both local and international clientele.*
*Cited from www.pacificeditions.ca