Akiuk- Echo
Alder, acrylic paint, wood dowel, wood hangers, waxed cotton, wood hoops, wire
18.5"h x 16"w x 14.5"h
$2800 - Available at Jeffrey Moose Gallery
Akiuk- Echo is about the first Yup'ik teaching I remember learning, which is that people have to be careful with their words. The lesson that was taught to me is that other people can be physically and spiritually impacted by the words you say, even if those words are not said in front of them. This idea makes me think of the ripples when a stone is thrown into a lake, and the way those ripples continue moving even beyond one's line of sight. The words we say can have long term effects, and oftentimes we will never know what the effects are and whether they are positive or negative.
Shaman in the Moon
Alder, acrylic paint, weaving reed, wood dowel, glass beads, metal beads, wire
17"h x 18.5"w x 4.5"d
$3200 - SOLD
The inspiration for Shaman in the Moon is the old stories of shaman traveling to the moon to convince Tuunrak, the keeper of game, to send animals to earth for hunters to harvest. I became aware of this story when I read an article many years ago, about an elderly man back in the 1960s who was very ill and staying at a hospital in Anchorage. The way I remember the story, he had been eagerly following the space race and the efforts to land on the moon, but it became clear he wouldn't live long enough to witness humankind's first steps on the moon. His daughter told him she was sorry he wouldn't get to see it, but he told her that it was okay, he had already been to the moon.
This mask was an exploration of a previous moon mask I carved, which can be seen on the page Carvings 2014-2018. I wanted to experiment with making a much rounder form than that mask and the inspiration masks, one of which can be seen in the last photo. One of the eyes cracked as I was working on it and I had to adjust the size and shape, but I felt the end result is fitting for the story it conveys.
Eglira- Life’s Path
Yellow cedar, acrylic paint, basket reed, copper wire, feathers
27.5”h x 26”w x 6”d
Auctioned at the Healthy Alaska Natives Foundation’s Raven’s Ball 2025
Eglira- Life’s Path is inspired by a story I read in the book Ellangellemni... When I Became Aware, as told by Andy Charlie of Tununak, AK.
Here is a shortened version of the story: A long time ago, a woman and her grandson lived together. They struggled when the boy was young, but when he grew up he became a very good hunter. Even with his success, he always spared a pair of loons, leaving food for them from each of his catches. Many years passed by, and the grandmother became resentful of her grandson and the work she had to do in preparing the animals he caught. One night, she put ashes from the fire into his eyes and blinded him. The grandmother took care of her grandson, but he eventually thought about the loons and crawled his way to their home. The loons felt sorry for his blindness, and since he had always taken care of them they told him the truth about his grandmother. They restored his sight, and when he returned home in anger he took his grandmother out to sea and left her to be eaten by killer whales. He came to regret his decision, and wished he had thought more about his actions.
Although this story has a sad ending, it is a reminder that life can be complicated and difficult. It is important to remember to learn lessons from our actions and the actions of others, and to continue to try to give our best even in the face of adversity. It is also about doing what kindnesses we can, because even though something may seem small to us it can be a great blessing to others.
Napan - Something That Keeps One Up, Alive, or Going
Alder, ivory, acrylic paint
11”dia. x 3”d
$4000 - Available at Jeffrey Moose Gallery
Napan - Something That Keeps One Up, Alive, or Going is inspired by an old Yup'ik tobacco box I saw in a book. The lid was decorated with an ivory mask representing a woman (identifiable by her frown and tattoos), glass beads, and a button broken in two.
This image has stayed in my mind for several years, and I began to think of the person represented by the mask as a keeper of memories. For this mask, the longer I worked on it the more I felt that she holds everything that makes us who we are: where we’ve lived, life events, everyday happenings, relationships, people we meet and never see again, places we’ve been, choices we’ve made. She holds each of us, all of who we are, and it my deepest wish that she holds whatever it is that keeps you going everyday, and that whatever that is brings goodness to the world.
The Gift Givers
Spalted alder, acrylic paint, copper, walrus ivory
17”L x 9.5”W x 6.5”H
$4000 - Available at Jeffrey Moose Gallery
The Gift Givers is based on old Yup'ik snuff (tobacco) boxes. I observed a beautiful one at the Anchorage Museum in Anchorage, AK, back in 2019, and this style of box again came across my awareness when I spent some time at the Burke Museum in Seattle, WA, in April 2025. During that visit, I was flipping through a book about Yup'ik art and saw a few more snuff boxes, and then came across the heading "The Gift Givers," which got me thinking about the importance of generosity in Yup'ik culture. I decided to carve this giant-sized box to embody generosity of spirit, and to encourage people to give freely of the gifts they have, whether they be tangible, intellectual, or emotional. I chose to use spalted alder partly because I love how it looks, but also because it is imperfect. It gets soft and mushy in some places, the patterning is unpredictable, and the wood is more likely to crack as it dries. Our gifts don't have to be perfect to be shared, and sometimes it's the imperfections that make them all the more valuable.
I made the lid out of copper. I had only a vague idea of what I was doing as I cut it and hammered away, but I'm so happy with how it turned out. I especially love how the texture looks like rippling water. The handle pull is made of walrus ivory.
Igigtaun - Secret Berry Patch
Alder, wood hoops, wood dowels, glass beads, copper wire, watercolor
12”h x 8.5”w x 1 3/4”d
$1600 - SOLD
This little guy has a secret, and he has no plans to tell you what it is.
This piece is a reference to the fact that Native people love to pick berries, they all have a secret spot, and in no way shape or form will that information ever come to light. But it's also about those little things we keep for ourselves, that bring us joy that no one else can touch. A secret candy stash? Check. A show you watch but would never admit to? Check. Some of those socks with profanity, hidden under dress pants? Check. Whatever it is, hold onto it. It's yours, and no one can take that from you.
Untitled
Red cedar, willow, basswood, acrylic paint, waxed thread, basket reed.
31.5"h x 7"d x 20.5"w
Commission for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
I was honored to create this mask for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium's Division of Environmental Health and Engineering's new building space, with the mask also acting as a memorial to the lives of Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, two employees who lost their lives in a plane crash last year.
This is a long description, to capture the DEHE and the lives of Rhone and Kameron. The main image of the mask is a seal, because a long time ago seals taught humans the correct ways of living. The wings and feet represent Raven, who is one of our ancestors. He is a creator, but also a trickster keeping people thinking and working. The wings also represent all the travel done by DEHE staff.
The white lines along the sides of the seal are based on traditional Yup'ik design, though I have usually seen them in red or black. I chose white because this color often represents life, to acknowledge Rhone's and Kameron's influence on the lives of their friends and families.
Though the tools around the mask are based on historic Yup’ik artifacts, each connects to the work done by DEHE. The net gauge is for measurement and consistency. The drill is for…. a drill (some tools maintain their usefulness at any point in history). The needle is for preparation and the ability to repair what is broken or damaged. The fishing jig is for providing for family and community, and taking care of those around you. The paddle is for travel and the waterways that connect and sustain us. Finally, the single-barbed point is for doing whatever is necessary to build and maintain strong communities.
At the top is a Yup’ik hunter’s hat. Rhone and Kameron were described to me as “MacGyvers” - they were sent to job sites to figure out what was wrong and come up with a solution with whatever they had available to them. They were “hunting” for the problem. (Yup'ik pun alert!) Hunters are also powerful providers and caretakers who are respectful, kind, and look out for others.