There are lots of new faces in our mask exhibition “Masters of Disguise III”, and we’re not just talking about all the masks. We are proud to show the work of Karver Everson (K’omoks/Kwakwaka’wakw) for the first time, a young artist who carved the mask shown in his hands at left. Karver is the youngest artist in this exhibit–born in Comox, BC in 1993–but his work shows a maturity beyond those years. Though he may be young, Everson takes his culture very seriously: he carries the name Gayustistalas, a name that once belonged to his father, Chief Rob Everson of the Gigal’gam Walas Kwagut from the Kwakwaka’wakw People. In his biography, Karver writes:
Influenced greatly by his family’s connection to their cultural heritage, Karver has always been eager to learn and uphold the cultural traditions of both his K’omoks and Kwakwaka’wakw ancestors.
We expect great things from this artist, who has been carving for only a few years but has already reached a level few achieve. He attributes much of this to the mentorship he has received by elder artists:
“Karver has been blessed by the mentors in his life. He has worked under the tutelage of Kwakwaka’wakw master carvers Richard Hunt, Calvin Hunt, as well as Mervyn Child and David Knox. His uncle, Andy Everson, has also taught him to understand multiple facets of Northwest Coast art including rules of formline and design.”