Original One-of-a-Kind Inuit Drawings

The art of drawing lies at the core of the Cape Dorset prints program. Images that are transformed into limited-edition prints are selected from a broader corpus of works drawn by the artists in the print shop. Thus, one-of-a-kind drawings have special artistic value.
 
The subjects of drawings by Inuit artists are fed by powerful, universal beliefs. In their geographical isolation, the ancestral Inuit people translated them into unique spiritual beliefs. Nourished by these vital values, the drawings of the Inuit address the challenges of their difficult life with remarkable imagination and creativity.

Wielding Pentel pens, colored or pastel crayons and graphite, the artists of Cape Dorset express
autobiographical, personal and intimate viewpoints on life. The resulting drawings provide a wide array of poignant, vibrant, sometimes surprising, often joyful or humorous images.
 
Our retail show, "Contemporary Drawings with Symbolic Meanings", comprises the first thirteen drawings. Brief background notes serve to introduce the show.

Follow: twenty more drawings by the contemporary artists Kavavaow Mannommee, Itee Pootoogook, Tim Pitsiulak, Jutai Toonoo, Ningeokuluk Teevee, Shuvinai Ashoona, Johnny Pootoogook, Ohotaq Mikkigak and Nicotye Samayualie.
 
The last selection of forty-seven drawings is by the seminal print artists who first began to work on paper, during the early days of Modern Inuit Art. The works we present were completed between 1976 and 2009, by artists who had started to hone their drawing skills in the 1950's. That was when drawing paper became available to them thanks to the enterprising efforts of James Houston.

The first-generation artists represented are Pitseolak Ashoona (see the story of Pitseolak Ashoona and her artist descendants in Get to Know the Artist), Lucy Qinnuayuak, Pudlo Pudlat, Jamasie Teevee, Kingmeata Etidlooie, Eliyakota, Soroseelutu Ashoona, Sharni Pootoogook, Mary Pudlat, Napachie Pootoogook and (her brother-in-law) Kananginak Pootoogook, RCA (over twenty drawings by the great multidisciplinary artist).

We advice you to check with us if the drawing of your choice is still available before ordering.