On September 26th, 2011, the government of Canada recognized the First Nation Indian status of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nations Band in Newfoundland and over 20,000 people of Indian descent received Indian Status. I am one of the founding members of this band…More information is available at www.qalipu.ca I have been carving stone since 1998 and I have worked with marble, limestone, alabaster, opal stone, cobalt, serpentine, butter jade, granite, limestone, wonder stone, leopard stone and sandstone. Having always been an art collector, I have a special interest in sculpture; however, I do not carve in the ‘traditional’ native style. In fact, I was not aware of my connection to Mi’kmaq First Nations until I was in my fifties… Time and work constraints limited my ability to pursue an interest in sculpture until relatively late in my life. During this time, I read books and did online research on the technical aspects of working in stone. This trial-and-error method of learning allowed me to develop a style of my own. My abstract works often evolve during the carving of a stone, and I prefer that people viewing them naturally form their own opinions as to what I am trying to accomplish with each piece. Many people tell me they see different things in my works, and this is exactly what I want to occur. I am particularly interested in the interactions of positive and negative space. My work has been exhibited in Collingwood, Ontario at the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts Annual Juried Art Show where one of my pieces won 2nd place in its category in 2009 and another piece won 3rd place in 2010. I have also exhibited at the Waterfront Gallery in downtown Collingwood, the One-of-a-Kind Toronto Spring Show in 2010 and the Jake Dent Gallery in Palm Desert, California, USA, Mountain Art Garden, Idyllwild, California, USA and I am currently exhibiting my work at the Colin Fisher Gallery, in Cathedral City, USA. A growing number of my sculptures can be found in collections both in Canada and the United States. …