TIM PITSIULAK (1967-2016) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Kiputiit, c. 2011
coloured pencil on paper, 30 x 44.25 in (76.2 x 112.4 cm)
titled, signed, inscribed, "KIPUTIIT / Tim Pitsiulak / ᑭᖖᒐᕐᐃᑦ (Kinngait)".

ESTIMATE: $8,000 — $12,000

Provenance
Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle.

Tim Pitsiulak, a masterful graphic artist who made his home in Kinngait, described himself as a hunter and an artist. He split his time between the two pursuits, often referring to the floe edge as his ‘office.’ Raised by his father in the traditional hunting culture, he loved the land of southern Baffin Island and was able to celebrate it brilliantly through his drawings. Kiputiit is the area between Cape Dorset Island and neighbouring Mallik which becomes exposed during low tide. This view from the harbour at Kinngait captures the surprising range of colours found in an Arctic sunset; the dark formations of the land are put in relief by the spectacular variations of blues and oranges ranging across the vast sky. Pitsiulak had the rare ability to use black paper to enhance his intended subject matter; the black merely became the base for the brilliantly blended coloured pencil composition.