S e c r e t s

The Beluga’s odd form is what first attracted Peter to this subject. To him, they look like ghostly white dolphins with lumps on their heads bigger than anything Tom and Jerry ever paraded. He saw his first Beluga at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium during the Rosemont exhibition and vowed it was only a matter of time (well, seven years!) before he would carve one. His box figurine shows a pod of nine, with a mouse and canary hidden amongst them. 19th century whalers nicknamed the Beluga "sea canary" because of its vocal dexterity. Aptly, the interior portrays a crooning whale. Pete’s ubiquitous Coke can appears on the base, his shorthand symbol for man’s pollution, but ironically, Belugas are no longer killed for their meat because they contain such high levels of pollution. Next to the can is “34”, the number of teeth they have. “Bootlaces” refers to the Arctic Beluga whose thick skin was traditionally used to make laces. 110 of the edition have a special inscription for Art’s West Unique Gifts, and another 110 have a special Victorian Village inscription. Peter traveled to these two HK HOL dealers in September 2005 for a signing and didn’t want to arrive empty-handed.