William Parnell

Haida Nation

William Parnell is a Haida artist born in the British Columbia coastal town of Prince Rupert. He later moved to Vancouver and currently resided in the suburb of Langley. He is an avid sportsman and enjoys skiing in the winter, fly-fishing, and other outdoor team sports in the summer.

Art has always been a pastime of Bill’s. Throughout his life he has had a sketchbook at his side. As a child he sketched often, mainly fishing boats and cartoon characters and later turned to abstract drawings and human faces. His interest in the art of the Haida has grown with his knowledge of his people. His passion for the technique and the culture behind the art itself is what inspired Bill to express himself in traditional Haida art.

A self-taught Haida artist, his desire is to expand his knowledge of the many different mediums the ancient Haida used to express their claims to ancestry and tribal rights. One of his hopes is that through his art other cultures may learn and appreciate the values and traditions that the Haida have to offer.