Indigenous Made
Local Handcrafted Sculptures
About
Fredrick Lyle Spence was born and raised in Peguis First Nation. Growing up in the community until he moved to Winnipeg for work at 17 years of age. This time of his life was turbulent and gone through some life challenges that led to substance abuse. He has spent the past 6 years of his life reclaiming the things he lost including his identity, culture and mental strength. This includes ceremony, language classes and therapy. Soapstone carving has been the main source of therapeutic release and working through difficult times. Sharing that through volunteering and workshops so others can have an outlet that he found helpful.
Workshop Experience
Soapstone carving is an experience with every piece you create. My first attempt carried happiness, hard-work, frustration and finally anger when I had dropped it and it broke into multiple pieces. My feeling of defeat lasted about a week before I started my second attempt. I learned from all my mistakes and the process was enjoyable. When I had finally finished the piece, I had this amazing feeling of joy for my accomplishment. When I do workshops, I get to teach others about that experience and it's something very rewarding seeing an individual light up after completing their own piece.
Custom Pieces
Many individuals have their own connections to an animal through a traditional name, clan, memory or feeling of something special. The goal for a custom soapstone piece is making sure the customer is getting a one-of-a-kind sculpture that they helped to design. The pricing of the piece will differ based on the size and type of stone.
