Lot 128
JESSIE OONARK, O.C., R.C.A (1906-1985) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE)
Untitled (Helicopter and Bird Transformations), c. 1976-78
coloured pencil on paper, 22 x 30 in (55.9 x 76.2 cm)
signed, "ᐅᓇ".

Provenance
Private Collection, Lunenburg, NS.

Exhibited
Edmonton, AB, Edmonton Art Gallery, Inuit Art in Edmonton Collections, as “Drawing (Helicopter, Inuit, Animals)” and "c. 1975".

As we noted in our discussion of Oonark’s fabulous work on cloth Composition with Skidoos and Ulus in this sale (Lot 28), modern forms of transportation such as snowmobiles, airplanes, and helicopters are quite rare, even though they have been remarked upon over the years – small wonder; they are remarkable! And it really is a fluke that we have two such works in one sale.

Helicopter and Bird Transformations is one of the most whimsical and delightful Oonark drawings we have seen in quite some time. Strongly rendered in lovely complimentary colours, the image is as confidently and crisply drawn as it is strangely enigmatic and puzzling. The helicopter seems to be transforming into a duck until we realize that the duck’s bill more resembles a wolf’s snout. Furthermore, its eyes are strangely human. We love the way Oonark has used a bit of mixed perspective, with the helicopter’s eyes shown on this side of the head, and the two pontoons drawn one below the other. Also hilarious are the male “pilot” and the female “back seat driver” – as if either of them would have any control over the situation. A small but curious element, too, is the furry ball sitting atop the rotor mast, which looks rather like a bird’s nest. Rounding out the magical quirkiness of this composition are two remarkable and incredibly charming creatures: a hare balancing on two legs on the helicopter’s tail cone, and a wonderful human-bird who seems to be running to catch the flight.

The popular Cape Dorset artist Pudlo Pudlo would become famous in the 1980s for his whimsical scenes involving airplanes and helicopters. If Oonark had lived longer, she certainly could have given him a run for his money. Absolutely sensational.

References: For another quite different take on a transforming helicopter by Oonark, see Jean Blodgett and Marie Bouchard, Jessie Oonark: A Retrospective, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1986), cat. 73, p. 131, and the volume itself for an overview of drawings by Oonark. This catalogue remains the definitive publication on the life and work of the artist.