Jackie Ittigaitok: "You never know how they're going to turn out."- Jennifer Geens/NNSL photo

Rankin Inlet (July 05/04) - Jackie Ittigaitok has learned just about every kind of art possible.The Rankin Inlet artist now works mainly in stencils and pottery at the Matchbox Gallery.

But since he began working as an artist in 2001, he has also tried his hand at printmaking, jewelry and carving.

"I work in clay for a while, then when I get tired of it, I do stencils," said Ittigaitok.

"Then when I get tired of that I do something else."

One artform he has cut back on is carving, because of the health hazard from the dust.

Ittigaitok said his pottery turns out better when there's an instructor supervising him. Without an instructor, things don't quite end up looking the way he wants.

His first clay mask was entitled "Looking at Aurora," and was tilted upwards as if looking at the sky. He said it reminded him of his father's face, though he hadn't realized the resemblance as he was making it.

"The instructor said to put it sideways," he said. "I didn't listen."

Clay needs to be dried and fired, though, and that takes time. And there's no guarantee on what the finished product will look like.

"You never know how they're going to turn out."