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Artists > John Majak

Scrimshaw

I’m originally from Upstate New York where I grew up with a love for the outdoors which eventually led to my moving to Alaska in 1971.

Although I’ve loved to draw I took no formal art training until the 1980’s when I began taking night courses at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.  It was there that I was introduced to the art of scrimshaw by Larry Vienneau, an art professor and Nantucket scrimshander.

I use a freehand technique of cutting thousands of tiny scratches into the polished ivory to comprise each scene.  Only the scratches hold the applied color when the surface is wiped off.  The process takes many hours to complete and results in a piece of art that is both original and unique, no two being exactly the same.  My preferred “canvas” is ivory from the tusks of the extinct Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenus).  Fossilized ivory found in Alaska is 11,000 to 40,000 years old.

My goal is to accurately depict animals in their natural environment and I’m continually motivated to try and capture and share just a bit of that natural beauty.  I hope that my art reflects my deep appreciation for Alaska’s flora and fauna.

“Moose in the Spruce”….it’s what I do.