CULTURAL GROUP:
Haida

BORN:
July 26, 1981

BIRTHPLACE:
King County, WA

Ernest Swanson began engraving in 2004 under Haida jeweller Jim McGuire. He comes from a long line of established artists: his cousin is popular Haida carver Jim Hart and his grandfather was prolific Haida argillite carver Rufus Moody. In 2005, Ernest started carving wood with Haida carver Christian White. This same year, he also won an Emerging Artist award from British Columbia’s Alliance for Arts and Culture. In 2009, Ernest graduated from Vancouver's Northwest Coast Jewellery Arts program under established Kwakwaka'wakw/Haida artist Dan Wallace. In 2010, he worked on a large pole with Jim Hart at the Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver, BC. Recently, he has been creating miniature argillite pendants with engraved silver bezel settings and abalone inlays.