Arctic Narwhal Sculptures

I became interested in Narwhals in 2003 on my first mountaineering expedition to Greenland. While staying in the town of Tasilaq, I learned that Narwhals are a food source and cultural icon to the Inuit people. A local Inuit hunter told me captivating legends of Narwhal hunts in handmade animal skin canoes. In addition to these stories I was able to see actual huge Narwhal tusks/horn, skulls and bones and was offered maqtuk (narwhal meat). This strange beast left me in awe, and I have been compelled to make it the center of my artistic endeavors.

If, like me, you are interested in learning about Narwhals then you will find there isn't much out there. Because they only live in the frigid Arctic waters with the ever changing sea ice, it is incredibly difficult to study them.  What we do know is limited but still fascinating. For example, a Narwhal cannot survive in captivity. The males generally will have one tusk, or even two and the females have in rare cases also been recorded as having tusks. New theories have come to light as to the purpose of the tusk such as the discovery of massive amounts of nerve endings within it. This has led researchers to believe it has potential sensory capabilities rather than an aesthetic purpose to show male virility as previously believed. And lastly, the tusks are similar to that of a walrus tusk in that they are mounted side by side rather than in the center of the skull. As with our sculptures, you will see single tusked whales with a tusk slightly jutting from the left or right of the skull. With the information available we have taken it upon ourselves to represent the Narwhal in the most authentic and accurate way we can.