Joe Talirunili, arguably the most celebrated artist in the region of Nunavik, showed no signs of slowing down in his final years. This print is one of the few from his last additions to the Puvirnituq print collection and continues his great tradition of “drawing things that I knew a long time ago.” [1] Frenzied hunters paddle through icebergs (represented by large, unbroken printed parts of the stone block used to make the print), attempting to hunt seals under the watchful eyes of several of Talirunili’s distinctive owls. An impressively large owl lords it over the entire composition. By quirkily combining Joe’s two favourite subjects - umiaq adventures and owls - this print beautifully sums up this beloved artist’s career.

1. Joe Talirunili in Povungnituk 1975: Prints / estampes, (Montreal: Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec, 1975), unpaginated.