James Houston neatly described Pudlat’s Large Owl in his 1971 publication Eskimo Prints, as follows, “His owl, poised like a great winged victory, has a monumental quality and a feeling of vastness. It seems to possess an inner tension, a sense of life and alertness.”

Pudlat Pootoogook was the brother of the artists Kananginak and Eegyvudluk and the husband of Sharni. Four images by Pudlat were translated into prints, all in the 1964-65 collection. Pudlat was also a sculptor of some renown; see references for two sculptures by him.

References: Image reproduced in James Houston, Eskimo Prints, (Don Mills, ON: Longman Canada, 1971), p. 82. Two sculptures by the artist from 1954, including a remarkable portrait of James Houston, are illustrated in Maria von Finckenstein, editor, Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970 (Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1999) pp. 118-119.