“scanning the horizon”

The very first carving I made back in 1992 was a tall slender piece. Thinking about this recently gave me the idea to make another tall and slender one. In my earliest pieces I kept the form as simple as possible. Here I wanted to try and achieve the same thing. It was a bright and windy day when the man decided to go seal hunting. Settling close by, he was able to walk to a number of seal holes. Standing with his shoulder to the wind, he sees better weather coming as he scans the horizon for seals. He carries his harpoon and a “scratcher.” The scratcher is used next to the breathing hole — with the hunter occasionally scratching the ice next to the hole to attract a seal.

—Michael Massie