Stuart Littlefield was raised on Block Island, Rhode Island. Born from glaciers, the Island's 200 foot bluffs emerge from the Atlantic ocean almost 14 miles from shore, between Montauk and Martha's Vineyard. His ancestors, who settled the Island in the 17th century have fished its waters for 12 generations. Stuart's father, a commercial lobsterman, clammer and surfcaster during the 1980's, initiated him into the family's maritime traditions before he could walk, bringing him to sea on calm days, nestled safely in a fish tote. At age four, he learned to swim with a mask and snorkel and soon became entranced with the underwater world as he eagerly explored the salt marshes of Block Island's Great Salt Pond. As he grew, he ventured out to the boulder piles and reefs of the open ocean where he encountered schools of striped bass and bluefish. The countless hours he spent underwater gave him an intimate knowledge of these and other local fish species. At fourteen he learned to weld steel and began experimenting in his own backyard with abstract human forms. His original pieces were eagerly acquired by local collectors at community art shows. The following year he had his first gallery exhibition at Mixed Media on Block Island. After graduating from high school, Stuart headed south to Eckerd College in Florida where he pursued a degree in environmental studies while exploring the rich waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Since 2007, his original work has been shown at the Island Gallery. After graduating from Eckerd in 2009, with hopes of creating art that would resonate with the local ecosystem and culture of his Island home, Stuart began sculpting forms of striped bass from recycled shipyard steel. He remains an avid free diver and fisherman. His current work pays homage to the beauty and vitality of the fish species which sustain and inspire coastal people. It is best described as modern maritime folk art. Working in the open air of his Block Island studio, Stuart cuts each fish by hand, using an artisanal method that dates back to 1900.