Tuktoyaktuk (Mar 29/04) - The doors to the art world aren't wide open, but Tuktoyaktuk carver Les Raddi is hoping to find the key. Raddi, a self-educated artisan, has been carving since 1987.

Tuktoyaktuk carver Les Raddi is known for his unique style and creative use of materials. Here he holds up a piece of muskox horn he carved into a loon with a fish in its mouth. - Erin Fletcher/NNSL photo

But making the transition between carving as a hobby and carving for a living can be difficult.

"You have to have a good imagination to sell something for a good price," said Raddi.

His carvings usually sell for at least $150 and the most he's ever made from one carving is $900.

Lately he's been trying to sell his art through the on-line auction, e-Bay.

Carving started out as a therapeutic tool for Raddi. He found it helped to have something to do with his hands while he thought things through in his mind.

"I had a lot of things to think about and next thing, I started carving," said Raddi.

The first thing he carved was a whale, but now he carves everything from polar bears to loons.

He usually uses muskox horn and stone.

Muskox horn is like a thick fingernail,he said, it's easy to carve but smells like burned hair so "it's no good for carving inside."

He often combines materials like stone and horn to add texture and colour to his work. Muskox horn imbedded into black stone gives his loons their characteristic white spots.

"I like the way loons look," he said. "It's a challenge to make every single spot."

A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Raddi even designed his own chisel from a filed-down screw driver.

"Before I started getting good I used to use a pencil to etch (the designs) out," said Raddi.

"Now the designs come entirely from my mind."

Nearly 100 carvings later, Raddi is feeling confident enough to take his work to the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik this summer. Although he's been there before, he's never put on a large enough show of his work before.

"This year I'm making the commitment to make it there," said Raddi.

He hopes to have at least eight carvings at the festival as well as some hand carved jewelry.