As seen in the original graphite drawing, illustrated in Dorothy LaBarge’s 1986 catalogue From Drawing to Print (p. 16), Kiakshuk’s composition included a third row of figures. This bottom register depicts four monstrous creatures, drawn by the artist with his characteristic nervous energy. This simplification results in a print that is a celebration of the “regular” residents of the Kinngait skies, rather than one that blends fauna with fantasy. The forms of the nine birds are enlivened by the printmaker Eegyvudluk Pootoogook through his sophisticated use of stencil in variegated hues of black, blue, and — in the case of one bird — red.

Literature: Nine Arctic Birds is illustrated alongside Kiakshuk’s original drawing in Dorothy LaBarge, From Drawing to Print: Perception and Process in Cape Dorset Art (Calgary: Glenbow Museum, 1986), pp. 16-17.