Historically speaking, scrimshaw artists (aka “scrimshanders”) were whalemen, sailors, navy tars and merchant seamen who made their living on the sea. Life on a whaling vessel was often quite monotonous waiting for a whale sighting. Creating intricate art on the available materials was a great way to pass the time. Whaling voyages averaged 46 months. They used materials taken from sea animals, mainly whales but also porpoises, walruses, and even mollusks. They tended to depict nautical scenes and motifs: ships, flags, anchors, and so on.
It was a pleasure and an honor to pass the art of scrimshaw on to these artisans.
