Bird Mask This hand carved and painted mask is by Aleut artist, Jerry Laktonen. Jerry (Alutiiq) was born in 1951, on Kodiak Island, Alaska, and is strongly influenced by the traditional carving of his Alutiiq ancestors.Due to massive destruction of the Alutiiq people and their culture that began in the 1800s by the Russians, Jerry grew up with little awareness of the carving tradition that is now his passion and his career.After an environmental disaster ruined his fishing career in the early 1990s, Jerry turned to carving.
While he had no formal art training, Jerry’s experience in repairing fishing boats gave him a foundation for further developing his talents with wood.Although Jerry’s ancestor’s used driftwood to fashion their carvings, his favorite material is old-growth cedar.He adheres to the Aluttiq tradition of painting his pieces in vivid colors, in designs that are often rich with precise detail.Jerry insists on the cultural authenticity of his work, drawing on countless hours of study of museum pieces and photographs in books.Despite this quest for technical accuracy, Jerry is sure that a trance-like “knowing” of ancestral presence ultimately inspires his carving.
