Vern Etzerza

Vern Etzerza was born January 11th, 1953 in Telegraph Creek,

British Columbia, to the Wolf Clan of the Tahltan people.

In 1982 Vern recieved instruction in Northwest Coast design

from Glen Wood. Soon after this, he met Gene Brabant and

started carving under his tutelage. As a teacher Gene Brabant

placed heavy emphasis on the study of old pieces in all the

styles of the Northwest Coast and from this Vern draws

the inspiration for his own original work. Vern's other influences

include Russell Smith, Stan Hunt, Tony Hunt Jr. and Joe Peters Jr.