Following the resounding success of Rabbit Eating Seaweed in the inaugural Cape Dorset print catalogue of 1959, the subsequent Kinngait collection featured ten of Kenojuak’s works. Amongst these ten works, which also featured the iconic The Enchanted Owl, the present print, Birds from the Sea, emerged as both a paragon of Kenojuak’s artistic evolution and that which bore the most resemblance to the celebrated Rabbit Eating Seaweed in its enchanting allure.

In this captivating work, we encounter a multitude of birds in mid-flight, rendered in a minimalistic yet dynamic fashion that captures the essence of their movements. Three of the avian figures are seamlessly and intricately intertwined, while a solitary bird streaks across the bottom of the sheet, its form swept back in a dynamic display of resilience against the onrush of an invisible gale.

A closer contemplation of the forms reveals that these are not mere birds. With a deft hand, Kenojuak depicts their shapes as a fantastical amalgam of kelp and wing. These ethereal entities embody a fusion of organic sea elements and avian grace, giving true meaning to the work's evocative title, Birds from the Sea.

The colours of this airborne dance of feathers and foliage are wielded with a master of subtly. The ink is laid by Iyola Kingwatsiak with an understanding of its liquid potential, creating gradations that suggest both the depth of the ocean and other aquatic vistas, as well as interplay of light and shadow—a testament to the ephemeral nature of flight.

References: This image is reproduced in Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books, 1985), fig. 9. For more information on this famous artist see Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985); Anna Hudson, ‎Jocelyn Piirainen, ‎& Georgiana Uhlyarik, Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak, exh. cat., (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2018); Odette Leroux ed., Inuit Women Artists, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1994).