12" Caribou by Billy Merkosak *Graceful Elegance*

Inuit art: Caribou
Inuit Artist: Billy Merkosak
Size: 12" across, 9" high, 3" wide
Community: Pond Inlet, NU 1/22
Material: Dolomite & Caribou Antler
id: b-28629bhjjy

Masterpiece Carving!  Museum quality Sculpture!

Caribous are one of my favourite carvings.

They are graceful and elegant  with their long slim legs and majestic antlers.

It is incredible to me that such a large mammal can be considered graceful.

The carving of a caribou is fraught with difficulty.

The artist must painstakingly carve each leg and because they are angled and slim they easily break.

Caribou are by far one of the most difficult subject for an artist to carve.  This is why many artists avoid carving them.

Merkosak's caribou is spectacular.

I love the matte black dolomite stone. 

The black colour focuses our attention on the details of the piece.

The caribou's beard, his face and the lines of his long muscular torso and long slim legs are beautifully displayed.

I think that Merkosak got everything right about this caribou.

It isn't just the physical body (the proportions are fastidiously engineered), or the majestic antlers (which are superb). 

Merkosak has exactly the right attitude for this creature.

See our January 30, 2022 blog/communique Spotlight on the Colour Black.

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