I was born and raised in Anchorage Alaska. I started by working for my father when I was young. I became interested in his style of work.
In 1990 I became a full time artist. Previously, for at least three years I had worked temporarily two or three months in a year carving.
My feeling about my work is I feel that art imitates life. Movement and the visual picture in my mind are a big influence. A lot of my influences are from my father’s style; but to obtain my own style, I changed each carving within a matter of 1 or 2 degrees to give my work individuality. My style of work is based on ideas of how I see the subject in my mind and then transferring it to stone or ivory.
Hanaka is my mother’s maiden name. The Inupiat tradition of passing a matrilineal name to a young man has resulted in my distinctive and traditional signature.
My mother is from Mary’s Igloo, Alaska. She currently works in fur, specializing in fur dolls. My father is from Shaktoolik, Alaska. He works mostly in soapstone. His specialty is carving dancers and hunters.
I work mainly in soapstone. My specialty is Polar Bears. I really enjoy my art. I especially enjoy sharing it with people and hope they appreciate it as much as I do.
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