Michael Massie talks about the process behind his artwork


How does a sketch become a sculpture? To create his piece Looking Out Over the Big White Hill, renowned artist and master sculptor Michael Massie started with a sketch. Through an extensive process of grinding, inlay, sanding, and polishing, an extraordinary work of art was created.

I saw a photograph of a carving by John Terriak. It was a qulliq in the shape of a seal. On his, the qulliq was the bottom of the seal. On one end it had the head and the flippers, on the other it had the tail flippers. After some thinking, I decided to break out my pencil and sketchbook, and decided to draw a design of my own. I included a head and a body that was in the shape of a qulliq. But I added antlers on the head and I gave it flippers for hands and hoofs for feet. Having a sketch to work with, I began to grind, beginning with the basic shape. After all the grinding was completed and knowing that it’s a three dimensional object, I decided that something needed to be on the back in order for both sides to work together.  –Michael Massie 

Watch the video below where Massie describes his process of making the work from beginning to end.