Born May 8, 1979 in Victoria, British Columbia, Tom Paul is a member of the Hesquiat First Nations, located in the central region of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council territory.

Tom Paul is the son of carver, Tim Paul. His father is a very spiritual person and knows many of the stories that have been passed down through their forefathers. They strive to continue this oral tradition by expressing traditional stories in their artwork. Tom’s father apprenticed with Richard Hunt and Art Thompson, until becoming the assistant carver at the Royal British Columbia Museum at Thunderbird Park and later, advancing to the position of their lead carver. He now works with a number of apprentices teaching Nuu-chah-nulth culture to the next generation.

Tom spent much of his childhood with his father at the Royal British Columbia Museum, immersed in an environment that enabled him to absorb his father’s teachings of Nuu-chah-nuth culture and carving techniques. In 1989 Tom Paul helped his father paint a Hesquiaht pole for the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, Ontario.

Only a year later in 1990, Tom Paul helped his father carve a totem pole for the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand. Sharing the joy of traveling and performing dances and songs with his father, they traveled together to the games to participate in the closing ceremonies. In 1993 Tom Paul journeyed to Stockholm, Sweden to talk with students about his Nuu-chah-nulth culture.

1993 was also the year Tom Paul began to sell his masks to Bev Rieger Trading. In 1995, he started selling to House of Himwitsa in Tofina, B.C. Tom Paul, once again collaborated with his father in 1997 in the creation of pieces for an exhibition at Alcheringa Gallery in Victoria, BC. In 1997 father and son joined forces once again to work on a canoe for the Vancouver International Airport. In 1998 Tom Paul traveled with his father to Exeter, England. His father, Tim Paul, traveled in a group of thirty Nuu-chah-nulth companions to assist him with his commissioned residency involving the live carving of a totem pole for the museum.

Tom Paul’s masks were shown in the renowned exhibition, Down from the Simmering Sky in Los Angeles, California in 1999. The subsequent book of the same title brought Tom much attention. In 2000, he started selling masks to Quintana Galleries and Black Tusk Galleries in Whistler, B.C. Tom Paul plans to continue the traditions of his society through the distribution of his artwork. He is now widely collected, both nationally and he is developing internationally as well. The implicit beauty of Tom’s work attracts many people to his carvings, but the richness of his cultural legacy adds a depth to his work that is inspiring to everyone.