LEGENDARY STRENGTH, Ink, 15 x 22.25 in.

Born in Igloolik in 1946, Germaine Arnaktauyok has been working as an artist since she was a child.  She was formally trained – having attended courses at the University of Manitoba’s School of Art as well as commercial art courses at Algonquin Art College in Ottawa.  She is best known for her amazingly detailed yet expressive print images, but she has also worked outside of the world of Inuit prints.  Arnaktauyok has provided illustrations to the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada for various publications as well as illustrating children’s books.  She was commissioned to design the tail end of a special two dollar coin for the Royal Canadian Mint in 1999, which commemorated the creation of Nunavut, as well as a two hundred dollar gold piece issued in 2000.

Arnaktauyok’s subject matter focuses mainly on Inuit legends and traditional ways of life, but it is her technique coupled with her stylized use of line and colour that is extraordinary, particularly in her original drawings.  Though she is known primarily through her prints, this exhibition is comprised of the artist’s original drawings.  What is most striking in looking at this group is the intense detail and intricacy of each one.  In most she incorporates a unique technique reminiscent of pointillism, in which the form is defined by the juxtaposition of small distinct dots of colour.  Her work is individual and powerful and defines a world that combines her rich imagination with her Inuit heritage.