All About Pocket Knives

Can anyone help in adentifying this knife or maker?
It is a high quality polished fixed blade in nice leather sheath. It has a tang stamp ARK with some ? Image.

I don't know who might have made this knife. The micarta handle, red vulcanized fiber liners and mirror polish suggest it may be an earlier custom from the 1970' or 80's. The acid etched initials are clear enough but it's very hard to decipher what exactly the blob above the initials is. I have strained my eyes trying to figure out what it is but the more I look the more confusing it is. I suppose the blob made sense to whoever put it there but hard to imagine why someone would use such a confusing blob.

Spyderco has the ARK, Always Ready Knife but I don't see any association there. The blob almost looks like a demon facing right but then the knifelike blade facing to lower left doesn't add up. Would be interesting if anyone can figure out what it is but I doubt that would get us any closer to knowing what or who the ARK is.

I get Pinocchio with a knife and a sailboat on his head.