Napatchie Sharky was born in Cape Dorset on Baffin Island on September 29, 1971.
Carving almost exclusively in serpentine, Napatchie is well known for creating beautiful birds that are small, realistic, delicate and carefully executed. He has carved other pieces, including human figures and more modern images, but always returns to what comes naturally to him.
Napatchie’s stepfather was the renowned Shorty Killiktee from Kimmirut. Shorty and his family lived in Cape Dorset, but they would visit Kimmirut. Napatchie did his first carving there and sold it to the Kimik Co-op. He used to watch Shorty carve and then decided to try it on his own. He found the experience quite pleasurable and has since become a full time carver.
Napatchie prefers to carve on small scale (5″ x 8″). His largest piece, a falcon, was 12″ high by 20″ wide. He selects the stone he is going to carve very carefully, looking for stone with no cracks.
