Robert Sebastian

Robert Sebastian is a member of the Hawilgate village and is of Gitskan/Carrier

ancestry. Born in 1952, he studied at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast

Indian Art (Ksan). He is a member of the wolf Clan and Ksan dancers. He also

maintains an active role in the culture of his people. Robert developed his own

distinctive style which has been widely exhibited across North America. He is

presently living and painting in Hazelton, northern B.C. The Ksan style used by

Robert favors crisp, clean lines with a more contemporary look. The Ksan art

tends to be positive, personal and emotional with clear and definite ideas often

with action or conveying motion. The elements are from the traditional forms but

often elongated and/or abbreviated. Ksan artists are particularly fond of bird

imagery. Robert says, "The answers lie in the past, the present, and in the

future. You must leave something, when you take." Robert is also a journalist.