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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - Fort Smith carver Justin Wandering Spirit taught himself to carve at age 23.

"It was something I wanted to do so I just picked a buffalo for the first thing to try and I just carved it," he said. "It took me way too long but I sold that one to ITI. They have my first piece in their office in Fort Smith."

Justin Wandering Spirit, a carver from Fort Smith, is working on expanding his artwork this summer. The artist moved from carving buffalo to bears, which are in high demand. - photo courtesy of Justin Wandering Spirit

He carved that work from a piece of green Italian soapstone he bought from carver Sonny MacDonald.

After his initial success with the green buffalo, Wandering Spirit experimented with different styles and then wrestled with carving a bear.

"The bear is one of my most popular pieces now," he said. "But I couldn't carve them at first. They wouldn't come out for me. I had to leave it for awhile and then go back to it after I figured it out and I wasn't frustrated."

His skills grew in recent years to the point where he taught carving for several months through a studio in Edmonton. He carves in the summer and pursues his bachelor of education at Aurora College's Fort Smith campus during the school year. He plans to teach art, Cree and English after obtaining his degree.

Wandering Spirit carved in a small work space he built next to his home this summer experimenting with figurative carving in soapstone and alabaster.

"I've been working on defining faces," he said. "That was a real weakness for me. I can do the shaping but the detailing is something I'm just learning. I think it has improved. I have a few for sale right now but most of the carvings I did this summer are already gone."

Wandering Spirit sells his carvings privately and sells work through the Sun and Moon Gallery and Madsen Studios in Edmonton and in Yellowknife at Gallery of the Midnight Sun.