Of all the many thousands of bird sculptures that have flown down from the Arctic, including those by the hands of masters such as Osuitok Ipeelie or Lukta Qiatsuk, none could be said to clearly outshine this magnificent work by Toonoo Sharky. Indeed, in terms of both its technical and artistic excellence, one can argue that this incredible Bird of Prey soars as high as any that we can recall seeing before (and certainly, since).

This piece is a testament to the artist's keen sense of observation as well as his technical prowess. Toonoo’s works of this period exhibit a death-defying bravado as well as a remarkably intuitive understanding of the structural limitations of stone. This raptor features haunting inset eyes seeking out potential prey to be ensnared by its razor-sharp talons before being swept aloft on powerful wings of stone. Indeed, the entire weight of the massive composition is perched on the tiniest of bases. Furthermore, this brilliant work of art looks spectacular from every conceivable angle. Truly amazing.

It should come as no surprise that with works of such superlative quality, Toonoo was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. At the time of his induction, aged thirty-two, Toonoo was one of the youngest members in the Academy’s history. Of course, by then he had already been carving for twenty-three years and had been supporting himself as an artist for about fifteen.