Randy Cook
Random (Galapa) was born in 1977 in the notyhern vancouver Island town of Alert Bay ,B.C.Rande spent his early years in Alert bay where his grandparents, Gus and Florence Matlipi, raised him with strong cultural viewsand deel ties to his rich cultural heritage as part og the Namgis ,Maamtigila, and Mamatilikala tribes.Rande's grandfather taught him the essential elements of art and impressed upon him how art both reflects and connects to the culture and it's importance in maintaining and preserving a flourishing culture.Among his influences , rande credits his brother Will Cook Jr. William Wasden, Jr. Beau Dick , Dom Yeomans, Bruce Alfred and most recently John Livingston. During his apprenticeship with John , Rande has expolored woodcarving, mask making, box design and numerous other forms of coastal Forst nations art. "From all these mentors rande says, " I have develpoed an appreciate for coastal artists and their many variations of style and expressions.
