Vital Makpaaq was amongst the first to try his hand at carving in the early 1960s and was flagged by Bill Larmour as one of the settlement's most gifted carvers [1]. Although he was not as prolific as some of his fellow carvers, Makpaaq was adept at carving and polishing the somewhat unforgiving stone of the region. The scale of Woman in a Stride reminds of the only two prints for which Makpaaq contributed the drawings to the Baker Lake annual graphics collection, Archer and Hunter, both featured in the inaugural 1970 print collection.  At just 2.5 inches tall, the work is an absolute jewel, carved with extraordinary finesse and elegance.

1. See the artist's inclusion in William Larmour, ed., Eskimo Carvers of Keewatin N.W.T., exh. cat., (s.l. [Winnipeg], s.n. [Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1964)