While attending a sculpture workshop in Nain, Nunatsiavut, an elder Inuit sculptor suggested to Michael Massie that he should not use power tools as people in the south only considered Inuit sculptures made with traditional hand tools to be authentic. Massie, surprised by this opinion, instead opting for an embrace of technology to spur his own artistic innovation. For him, what is important is the work itself and the story behind it. True to the title, how it was made is irrelevant! In fact, this detailed and realistic portrayal of a sculptor holding a pick axe and an electric grinder would have been both difficult and more time-consuming without such tools. Tools aside, the unique mixing of mediums here including limestone, various woods, enamel, sinew, and more, has resulted in a fascinating sculpture - a stunning visual display of Massie’s innovation as an artist, made possible (and more efficient) with power tools.

PF