Drawing can serve as a vehicle for memory. Some artists use drawing to recollect moments from the past, while others utilize the medium to investigate feelings or even re-imagine events. The use of memory as a source of reference, rather than the commonly used photograph or preliminary sketch, leaves space for the artist’s interpretation—leeway for creativity and imaginative elements; the … Read More
In Memoriam: Jean Blodgett (1945–2020)
We are saddened to learn of the recent passing of seminal Inuit art historian, Jean Blodgett. Raised in Washington state, Blodgett moved to British Columbia in the early 1970s to pursue her graduate studies at UBC where she focused on Inuit sculpture. After graduation, Blodgett remained in Canada and began to lay the groundwork for the study of Inuit art … Read More
Wild Things: Prints by Artist Papiara Tukiki
Papiara Tukiki (b. 1942) is an elder artist currently living in Kinngait (Cape Dorset). She was born at a camp in Nuwatta, located on the Foxe Peninsula on the southern end of Baffin Island. Tukiki lived in camps until 1962 when she moved into the settlement community at Kinngait. Shortly before the move, she began to experiment with drawing while … Read More
Qaumajuq – A New Centre for Inuit Art
The much-anticipated new centre for Inuit Art is now open at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Thoughtfully named Qaumajuq [kow-ma-yourk or how-ma-yourk], meaning “It is bright, it is lit” in the Nunavik dialect of Inuktitut, the centre is hailed as the first-of-its-kind as home to the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. The gorgeous new building is … Read More
Land of Plenty: Gjoa Haven Sculpture
Uqsuqtuuq, the Inuktitut name for the community of Gjoa Haven, loosely means “plenty of blubber”, referring the many sea mammals that are local to the area. The community is also abundant in its artistic creativity. Since the 1970s, Gjoa Haven sculptures have been renowned for their spiritual energy, characterized by eccentric facial expressions and exaggerated forms seen in depictions of … Read More
Themes in Inuit Art: Transformation
Since the 1950s, the theme of the transformation has featured in sculptures, prints, and drawings by Inuit artists hailing from many communities across the Canadian arctic. Depictions of human figures intertwined with animals have permeated the art form in various styles and media, captivating audiences for decades. While many admire the creativity and spirit that emanates from such pieces, the … Read More
Life by the River: William Noah (1943–2020)
Feheley Fine Arts is honoured to present Life by the River: William Noah (1943–2020), an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake) artist, William Noah. This exhibition marks the first since Noah’s passing in July 2020. During the gallery’s previous solo for the artist held in 2010, Noah and his wife and daughter, Martha and Abbygail Noah, travelled … Read More
Artist of the ‘90s: Sheojuk Etidlooie
“I started out drawing by accident at the Church Christmas games. That’s when I learned that I could draw, and ever since then I have gained confidence. I have to think about a drawing for a while before I start to make it. My drawings are from me, they are my own but it is not easy to make them. … Read More
One Foot in The Spirit World: Sculpture by Maudie Okittuq
What if a seal could fly, a walrus could walk on hind legs, or a loon could burrow underground? These actions seem absurd but are routine in the world revealed to us by Maudie Okittuq. For her, the unusual is commonplace, the bizarre is familiar, and the grotesque is beautiful. Okittuq was first recognized with a solo exhibition nearly forty … Read More
A Brief History of Kinngait Printmaking
The world-renowned Kinngait Studios has welcomed experimentation and innovation in printmaking for over six decades. Many may be familiar with the story of its infancy, featuring Southern artist James Houston and his wife Alma, who were sent North by the Canadian government in the 1950s to establish an arts and crafts program in Kinngait. But the stars of this story … Read More
The Wonders of Baleen
This year’s annual Cape Dorset print collection included a number of showstopping prints featuring recognizable arctic subject matter. From the whimsical kamik-wearing owl in Ningiukulu Teevee’s dynamic lithograph Stepping Out, to Pauojoungie Saggiak’s open-mouthed char in First Catch, to Nicotye Samayualie’s luminous nocturne Silaqtiq (Bright Evening), the animals and landscapes of the Canadian arctic dominated the graphics of 2020. Perhaps … Read More
Oscar Cahén exhibition postponed
Due to the rise of Covid-19 cases in Ontario and throughout the country, we have made the decision to postpone the forthcoming exhibition Discovering Oscar Cahén (1916-1956). The exhibition was scheduled to open Thursday, November 26th in Centre Space at Feheley Fine Arts, and will be postponed until further notice. As Ontario’s leading medical experts rightly continue to advise us … Read More