Elaine Thompson was raised near Aberdeen, Saskatchewan on a small prairie farm. During her childhood she acquired a love of animals and an understanding of the bond that exists between mothers and their young. This emotion fills Elaine's carvings, and gives her work a special character that transcends simply copying their shape into stone.
Elaine has spent much of her life prospecting for mineral deposits in remote areas of British Columbia and the Yukon. Her travels bring her into contact with animals in their natural habitats and allowed her to gain a unique perspective on their interaction with the environment. After work, in the remote camps, she can usually be found carving antler, tree fungus, or stone.
Elaine's art is beginning to find its way into collections in Canada and the United States. In 1999 she won second place in the BC Arts Council juried show, for her whale sculpture "First Breath."
In this plastic world of cheap copies and mass production, she works slowly by hand, using nature's materials. Elaine's carvings are in soapstone or alabaster. The soapstone is fairly fragile and can scratch easily. However, the carvings will last many lifetimes if handled with care.
Most people experience a sense of calm as they examine Elaine's work. Her art causes inner stress to evaporate; in the way touchstones have served in man's culture since the dawn of time.