Cape Dorset (Sep 06/04) - Jamasee Pitseolak, 36, is a certified plumber. He is also a carver at heart.

Combining the two worlds, the Cape Dorset man recently carved a toilet bowl out of serpentine and sold it quickly to an eager buyer who lives in town.

Jamasee Pitseolak is a plumber by trade and a carver by heart. Combining the two worlds, he creates stunning works of art. - photo courtesy of Chris Pudlat

"I had a few different titles for it," Pitseolak said from his Cape Dorset home recently, laughing a bit. "At first, it was called 'The Best Seat in the House.' Then I named it, 'My Jewelery Box.'"

It took Pitseolak just a day to carve the approximately four-inch-tall throne.

Pitseolak has been carving everything from seals to walruses since he was eight years old. But he never carved a toilet bowl until recently. He said he'd make another one if someone asked him.

"I've always worked on pieces that were traditional, but I consider myself unorthodox," he said.

During the phone interview, Pitseolak clearly had a sense of humour about himself and his work. When asked if he preferred Jamasee with an "ie" or "ee" on the end, he said "see: I like to see."

While on the phone, Pitseolak was making another unorthodox piece while he talked -- an "old school" bicycle out of ivory that he drew a picture of first.

"Usually I pick up rocks around town," he said, talking about those dark rocks that characterize the scenery around Dorset. But Pitseolak goes to a quarry close to Kimmirut, to get nice green and black stone he likes as well.

He has a brother and two sisters, raised by parents who both made their mark as artists, and he knows how tough the life can be. But he said he can make a decent life for himself in Dorset by just being a carver.

His mother, Okpik Pitseolak, inspired what he considers his greatest piece: a carving of a flower in a pot.

"That one touched me deeply when I was working on it," said Pitseolak. "So much so, that it even made me cry."

When he was working on it, the stem broke. He had to salvage it somehow, fixing the stem, making it stronger.

"It reminds me of my mother," Pitseolak said of the entire process. "Because even after all the hardships she went through, she still grows. She is still strong."