Jamesie Pitseolak (b. 1968) is the son of Kinngait carvers Oopik Pitseolak and Mark Pitseolak (the son of well-known artist/photographer/writer Peter Pitseolak). He received training as a plumber in Edmonton, but he has been carving seriously for about twenty years. His work has been included in several exhibitions and publications since 2005. An interview in Inuit Art Quarterly, “Jamasie Pitseolak: Coming From Today,” by Norman Vorano (Spring 2008) brought his work to international notice.

As a younger Inuit artist, his search for relevant subject matter is now leading him away from the land, animals, and spiritual entities of previous generations. He enjoys the challenge of creating modern items from the colourful stone of south Baffin Island and specializes in the minutiae of contemporary settlement life. Inspiration comes from television, movies, magazines, current events, and from his childhood, such as the gift of a toy motorcycle. Jamesie’s pieces are usually small in scale with intricate details. Unlike most carvers in Kinngait, he makes preparatory sketches as he designs his sculptures. Rather than beginning with one stone and subtracting what is unnecessary, assembles his pieces from varying colours of stone.