SHEOJUK ETIDLOOIE (1932-1999) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Dancing Raven, 1996 #32
Printmaker: STUDIO PM, Montreal etching and aquatint, plate: 11.75 x 14 in (29.8 x 35.6 cm) / sheet: 18 x 20 in (45.7 x 50.8 cm)
13/50

Provenance
Private Collection, USA.

Birds feature prominently in the graphic works of Sheojuk. The artist revisited the theme each time in a remarkably fresh way, with each image having a unique sense of individuality. In Dancing Raven, the etching and aquatint medium creates atmospheric conditions for the bird. The light stone-grey ground is inked somewhat unevenly and vibrates between existence and non-existence. The raven, seemingly compressed close to the foreground, capers a charming dance at the very edge of the platemark. The bird’s deep blue body gives way to the harmonious and delightfully pink coloured beak; feverish striated black lines add to the liveliness of the dance.

References: Dancing Raven is reproduced in Leslie Boyd Ryan et. al, Cape Dorset Prints: A Retrospective, (San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2007), frontispiece & p. 109 For biographical information and other works by the artist, see First Arts, The Graphic Art of Sheojuk Etidlooie, exh. 26 Jan - 22 February 2021.