This impressive figure immediately captures our attention with the piercing gaze of its almond-shaped eyes. This intense stare is typical for a subject that greatly preoccupied Osuitok’s seemingly boundless imagination: the owl. Once we tear our eyes away from the bird’s commanding gaze the rest of its body comes into focus; we register the owl’s short but powerful upturned wings. But as we move around to the back of the sculpture we gradually realize that we are dealing with no ordinary owl, but rather a female bird spirit - or possibly a female owl-shaman. The owl’s tail feathers magically transform into the tapering, fringed flap of a woman’s amautiq.

This sculpture is a magnificent fusion of two of Osuitok’s most important subjects: birds and women. In this catalogue and elsewhere we have discussed how much Osuitok frankly admired women for their beauty and grace, but also for their skills, resourcefulness, and hard work. Interesting then that the artist should choose the owl-woman motif as a testament to the power and beauty of womanhood. The beautifully incised plumage framing the owl’s face (echoed in her amautiq fringe) and the almost balletic pose of the figure serve to soften yet also accentuate the grandeur and intense demeanour with which this feminine bird spirit is imbued. With Female Owl Spirit we sense the bird’s predatory nature, but we also witness extraordinary feminine beauty, refinement, and poise.

Arguably, in terms of mastery of material and technique, Osuitok had no equal among Cape Dorset sculptors. Whether we look at the artist’s more representational works such as his portraits of beautiful women (see Lot 49), his magnificent caribou, his elegantly stylized sculptures of birds, or his imaginative depictions of the Inuit spirit world, Osuitok was somehow able to imbue stone with a sense of life. This gorgeous Female Owl Spirit is proof that Osuitok’s technical mastery was surely equaled by his creative genius. Lest we think that the sculpture is purely a work of imagination, there is reason to believe that transformations held a special resonance and personal significance for Osuitok. When discussing another of his transformation works, Osuitok told Jean Blodgett, “I know it’s not just a fairy-tale story that animals can turn half-people. I’ve actually seen it happen” (Inuit Art: An Anthology, 1988, p. 46).