Blog

Faced with the harsh conditions in the Canadian Artic, the Inuit’s very existence is dependent upon family and community. Food, proper shelter and social safety networks – critical for life in any culture – are scarce for the Inuit. Children are necessary to maintain the family – to hunt and fish among other supports. Larger social groups working together are also key to survival. In short, individuality submits to family and collective welfare. So it’s not surprising that family and the larger community is a popular theme in Inuit art. What may surprise you is the very different approaches the artists have taken.

Everything moves in one way or another – living creatures, ocean waves, geological formations and orbiting planets – and art is no exception. Movement first attracted me to Inuit art, which I illustrated with a picture of a walking polar bear in my previous blog. The way Inuit artists capture movement is what first attracted [...]

I’m infected with the collecting bug, which I probably acquired at conception. I don’t think it’s contagious. In short, I surrendered to my genes, those authoritarian despots. They made collecting an expression of my character. While I am a collector, my sister Jephta isn’t, despite having the same parents and being raised in the same [...]