John McInnis writes “I was born in Sarnia and moved to Massey in Northern Ontario. By 18 I owned my own 175 acre vegetable farm. 
A childhood desire to experience the Arctic was realized in 1991 when he moved to the eastern arctic for a year. There I lived with the Inuit and learned about their culture, art and their reverence for the land and its animals.
A carver there gave me a few carving supplies and I quickly showed a natural ability to coax the figure from the wild stone. Returning to Port Alberni, I further trained with Fred Iyak. 
My carvings have a distinctive fluid poured look, very sensual and quite abstract in style. I carve soapstone, alabaster and most recently, marble. My pieces have been collected worldwide.
Each one is original, hand made and sanded to a high polish with 6 grits of sandpaper.
I am a very prolific and hard working artist. “West Coast Spirit Trees” is my latest creations, a tribute to our beautiful forests.
My pieces are abstract and interpretive in nature. They reflect the ebb and flow of life on the west coast, featuring spirit trees, wildlife, and sea life”. You can find more of John’s superb work at www.sidestreetstudio.com
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