Drawn in Kenojuak's distinctive early style that was still informed by her sealskin appliqué technique, here graphite lines gracefully sweep across the sheet. A complex, quite symmetrical network of her most cherished subjects — owls and other birds — unfolds, each lending its form to a unified vision. Wings spread wide while talons and beaks intermingle so that they merge into a seamless ballet of form and void. Here, it is not just the birds but the very emptiness between them that sings in a melody orchestrated by the innate instinct of a master artist.

Transitioning from the stark shapes and solidly filled forms of her earlier graphite works, Kenojuak's artistry after about 1962-63 unfolds as a medley of refined embellishments. Though the essence of her earlier approach is still evident in this drawing in the bodies of the two central owls, we see U- and V-shapes used to represent the plumage of the birds. Elsewhere, ornamental markings such as the stripes gracing the necks of various birds serve simply as artistic flourishes, added by the artist solely to enrich the visual complexity of the piece.

References: For other uses of the “U” or “V” shapes to denote plumage, see several of Kenojuak’s engravings from the same period, such as Birds in Blue, 1963 #13, the drawing for which is reproduced on the cover of Dorothy LaBarge, From Drawing to Print: Perception and Process in Cape Dorset Art, (Calgary: Glenbow Museum, 1986). See also Dream, 1963 #8, Birds and Woman’s Face, 1963 #10. For the inclusion of striped adornments, see Bright Plumage, 1963 #15. For a more comprehensive discussion of Kenojuak’s transitional style, see Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985), p. 80.