​Blake Lepine or Shaá’koon, was born andraised in Whitehorse, Yukon and descends fromTlingit, Han, Cree and Scottish decent, howeverit’s the Tlingit culture that he grew up with. Blakebegan at the age of 7 with life drawing ofanimals and tracing out old designs from carvingbooks his mother had laying around. He spentmany hours practicing and perfecting his ownstylized form and interpretation of this art whileadhering to the traditional foundations; to give amodern voice to an ancient art, Lepineincorporates media aside from the traditionalforms of carving and painting of his ancestors.Lepine has also taken on studies in silk screenand design, beadwork, textile work and sewing,painted leather, collage, block printing andwatercolour.

Lepine has previously shown in severalexhibitions, including at the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver.