Mary Mueller Scrimshaw Art

Waiting, buried under Arctic snow and ice, fossil ivory is one of the treasures that is brought by each Alaskan spring as melting snows uncover more earth to reveal its long-buried beauty. Working with mammoth ivory that is tens of thousands of years old, Mary Mueller draws from the spirit of the material itself to reveal the art from within...

"CUSTOM KNIFE." Scrimshaw mammoth ivory native hunter face on custom knife handle, by Mary Mueller.

"ICE AX ARTIFACT." Scrimshaw on walrus ice ax, curly myrtle base, by Mary Mueller.

"Sometimes I will study a piece for years before the image comes into my mind, and sometimes I find one so beautiful that it would be foolish to even try to embellish it. I keep such pieces around for inspiration."