Carved in the late 1800's ,
A Haida , he was a prolific carver of silver (mostly cuffs), as well he did a lot of wood and argillite carving..
His work informs all contemporary Haida carvers (whether they know it or not), as well as northwest coast engravers in general. He is remarkable for his grasp of flow... His engraving is quite light (compared to some of what I see today) , but he creates depth and volume with his use of texture, and tertiary elements.
It is not scroll work, but the language of scroll work applies almost directly to the nwcoast form
If I can figure out how to load a picture, I will.
Thanks for asking
Gwaai
Without a doubt it would be John Barraclough for me. He inspired and taught me a lot about engraving, gave encouragement and criticism where needed whether I liked it or not at the time. He also gave me sound engraving business advise that still holds good to this day. His knowledge is vast and although getting on in years he is still a youngster at heart that likes to try anything and everything. He also introduced me to FEGA which was a major leap forward in my progress.
Going to the FEGA annual show in Reno and to GRS in Kansas introduced me to so many other inspiring people to numerous to mention here. Most were engravers but not all. Some are world famous and others not so. You can only learn so much with e-mails and posts on a forum. Meeting the actual artists adds another dimension to our craft and that is the true value of going to shows and schools. Everyone I have met has been willing to share their knowledge and often a little gem would come out just through chatting. The generosity of everyone has been outstanding.
I've also met other people through this forum that have helped my journey in this magnificent obsession……….all of them have taught me something or shown me alternative ways to approach a job.
But like everything, you still have to go home and do the hard yards by yourself at the bench. Inspiration by itself doesn't always cut it. Patience, practice, observing and listening carefully is what will take you forward.