Gus Cook

Gus Cook was born February 28, 1982 in Alert Bay, British Columbia. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at the University of Victoria.

He became interested in Northwest Coast art through the cultural programs offered in elementary school. His mentors include Rande Cook, William Cook, Richard Sumner and Frank Nelson. He began to work in repoussé, the old European metal technique of creating three-dimensional forms in jewellery and sculpture under the direction of his cousin Rande Cook.

In 2010, Rande enrolled in an advanced repoussé program in Italy conducted by Italian master Valentin Yotkov, followed by a second program offered in New York. Upon his return to British Columbia Rande built a group of interested students including Gus Cook to bring Yotkov to British Columbia to offer a program that would push the boundaries of Northwest Coast jewellery. Gus has applied the repoussé technique to jewellery, sculpture and mixed media pieces such as rattles and masks.