PAUTA SAILA, R.C.A. (1916-2009) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)

Owl,1964 #54

Printmaker: ECHALOOK PINGWARTOK (1942-) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)

stonecut, 15 x 21.5 in (38.1 x 54.6 cm)

14/50

Provenance

Private Collection, Ottawa.

Owl is one of Pauta’s most endearing print images. The bird is hefty - we can imagine it translated into sculptural form - but it possesses a lighthearted charm as well. We particularly love the simple but effective use of contrasting textures. Interestingly, Pauta’s bio in the 1964/65 print catalogue describes him as known for his carvings of graceful seals (and, oh yes, “somewhat abstract” polar bears as well). Pauta reprised this owl image (in reverse) with another stonecut print, the equally charming Owl of 1966 (#44). This image was also used by the Cape Dorset co-op for a jewellery workshop in the mid 1970s; it was transformed into a brooch crafted out of both copper and sterling silver

Literature: This image is illustrated in the widely distributed book by W.T. Larmour, Inunnit: The Art of the Canadian Eskimo (Ottawa: Information Canada, 1967), p. 93. The 1966 version is illustrated in Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre/Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006), p. 81).