We are excited to present this collection of original drawings created by Cape Dorset artist Aoudla Pudlat between 1985 and 1989. These drawings portray an immense respect for the animals of his local environment, as well as a strong tie to traditional Inuit life. His works vary from realistic to fanciful.

The fantastic and colourful birds in this collection are reminiscent of Pudlat’s six lithographs in the print portfolio commissioned in 1981.

In some of his drawings he incorporates a unique framing technique, creating the illusion that the birds are escaping the page. “He was a dedicated artist throughout his life. His drawings came from his imagination and from his memory of camping on the land. Some of them are so realistic that they could be mistaken for photographs.” [1]

Aoudla Pudlat played a prominent role in the history of developing printmaking in Cape Dorset. He was one of the original four lithographers who published the first prints of this style in the 1975 release. After consistently drawing and experimenting in the print studio, Pudlat became an artist in his own right by publishing his stonecuts and lithographs in the 1980 print release. Pudlat is known for being one of the first printmakers to edition his own works.

Pudlat moved to Baker Lake in the late 1990s to participate in a printmaking program, and began contributing to the Baker Lake Print Release in 2001. He had the intention of returning to the Lithography Studio in Cape Dorset, but died in a hunting accident in 2006.

Pudlat’s works have been exhibited across Canada, Germany and the United States, and can be found in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Edmonton Art Gallery, among others.

Source:

[1] – A quotation from Aoudla Pudlat’s son, Chris Pudlat, taken from a phone interview with Katriina Campitelli in May 2015.

To view available artwork by Audla Pudlat, click here.