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JOHN TERRIAK - ARTIST
John Terriak was born in Hamilton River (now called Churchill River), Labrador, but now lives in Nain. Terriak has been carving since he was a child. He says he didn't have many toys, so he had to make his own planes, boats, knives and other toys out of wood. Terriak began to carve seriously when he was 17 years old. That year, he didn't have a Christmas present for his grandmother. He decided to carve a dog team for her. It turned out pretty well, so he kept it. Carving was initially a hobby; Terriak carved part-time for about 12 years. After his move to Nain around February 1978, he began carving professionally, and it has been his only source of income since about 1985.
Terriak carves in serpentine, marble anorthosite and soapstone. He has even tried his hand at carving Labradorite. He has also carved ivory, antler, whalebone and wood. He says he does not have a preference but will use materials available. Terriak lets the stone tell him what to carve. He likes to carve the animals he hunts and sees. Some of his favourite subjects are whales, seals and human faces. John Terriak signs his work "JT" followed by a tiny drawing of a great weasel (ermine), which is what his name is in Inuktitut.
John was elected to the board of directors of the Inuit Art Foundation in 1992 and was president from 1994 to 1996. He is also active within his own community, sitting on the local group home committee and school board.
"Living on the land and being around animals and wildlife, living on the coast, moving around, summer and winter, it gives me all the ideas I'll ever need. I also carve ideas from stories I've been told. All my work comes from the Inuit culture, and through my carvings, I show what our way of life is like. What it was like then and what it's like now, and my feelings about it. I want to pass on what I know to my children so they will have a good chance to use it too."
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