Mary Qayuaryuk (Kudjuakjuk) made a name for herself as a respected midwife while also creating art, both as a sculptor and a designer of prints. Animals were the regular focus of her work, and birds in particular became her favourite subject matter. In her own words, she commented: "I always find it very hard to think of what I'm going to draw. It is easier when I'm just chopping a stone because what I'm going to make is already there – I just chop the pieces off.” [1] We love the whimsical quality of this image and the bear is reminiscent of the famous bears of her contemporary Lucy Quinnauyuak.

1. The artist quoted in Dorset 78: Cape Dorset Annual Graphics Collection 1978 (M.F. Feheley Publishers: Toronto, 1978) p. 56.