Southern Kwakiuth Owl Mask by Tom Hunt

Tom Hunt is the son of the Chief George Hunt and Mary Hunt. He began carving at young age with his father and brother George Hunt Jr.. When Tom got older, he began to learn the 'Nakwaxda'xw Nation style of carving with his grandfather, Sam Henderson. One of his last and most important apprenticeships was with his uncle Calvin Hunt (owner of Copper Maker Gallery). This final apprenticeship and the ones before it have made Tom the multifaceted and masterly carver he is today. The son of Hereditary Chief George Hunt and Mary Hunt, Tom D. Hunt is a member of the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation who was born in Victoria in 1964. Tom began apprenticing in Kwakwaka'wakw art with his father at the age of twelve and later worked with his brother George Hunt Jr. When entering his teenage years Tom spent several summers in Campbell River working with his maternal grandfather the late Sam Henderson. During that stage of his development of Kwakwaka'wakw art style, Tom learned the artistic style of the 'Nakwaxda'xw Nation (Blunden Harbour). In 1983 he moved to his home village of Fort Rupert (Tsaxis) on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. There he worked as an assistant to his Uncle Calvin Hunt, owner and operator of the Copper Maker Gallery. This apprenticeship was an important period in Tom's development as a versatile and accomplished artist. Tom has also been an assistant carver to Susan Point on several of her large sculptures. He moves comfortably from massive wood sculptures to very small, intricate pieces.