Gus Cook was born in Yalis (Alert Bay) in 1982. He is a member of the Namgis tribe of the Kwak’waka’wakw Nation. He learned about his culture and art in school and became interested. He was trained in repousse by his brother Rande Cook who studied in New York City and Italy. Gus' works bring to life figures and stories of his Kwak'waka'wakw culture. He has been practicing repousse since 2011 and has created a great many three dimensional jewelry pieces. His work is in high demand.
Repoussé is used to shape a piece of metal by working on the reverse of the metal with hammers and punches to form a raised design on the front. Chasing is is the opposite technique used to refine the design on the front of the work by hammering to sink the metal. This process produces a sculpted 3d form of jewelry.
View squid pendant, Chilkat ring, repousse works by Gus Cook and other Native artists.
