Gary Olver is a Woodland Cree artist, born in 1966 in The Pas, Manitoba. His family moved to British Columbia when he was nine years old. On a family vacation to visit his uncle, who was stationed at the air force base in Masset, Haida Gwaii, he met a number of Haida artists working on various projects, and he was inspired by the quality of the work.

Gary spent some time as an actor working in both feature films and television, including a singing role with Willie Nelson. His acting career was cut short by an accident that left him with limited abilities of speech and sight. Gary spent years working through these challenges, showing gradual but successful improvement. Encouraged by his Northwest Coast art mentors, he began to carve miniature pieces in the Haida-style, which helped rebuild his dexterity and attention to detail. He became more interested in carving, focusing on finer detailing and smaller pieces, until 1999 when he became a full-time artist. His major interest remains in jewelry and miniatures in stone, argillite, ivory, wood, and precious metals. His work can be found in important collections around the world.