We have written elsewhere (and at length) about Osuitok’s deep engagement with the subject of women. These figures have often been described as emblematic of the communitarian ethos within Inuit life and, for Osuitok, they offered not only cultural resonance but artistic inspiration. His portrayals of women recur throughout his oeuvre with notable range and sensitivity. As Jean Blodgett observed in her essay in Inuit Art: An Anthology (1988), “He [Osuitok] pays tribute to the Inuit woman’s ability to fish, sew and care for children, and he frankly admires their physical form” [1].

Osuitok is equally celebrated for his gently offbeat depictions of owls, a subject that seems to have delighted him as much as it has generations of viewers. In her essay, Blodgett quotes the artist’s own reflection on his recurring themes: “‘...in different years mostly birds or mostly humans, and so on’” [2].

In Mother with Child, Holding an Owl, Osuitok brings together two of his most beloved subjects with grace and a hint of levity, producing a composition that feels tender, self-assured, and intriguing in its unexpected intimacy.

The carving is a testament to Osuitok’s refinement and his inventiveness. The young woman’s face, round and serene, meets the viewer’s gaze directly, while delicate facial tattoos hint at her larger story. From the voluminous hood of her amautiq, a bright-eyed child peeks out, cheeks full and charming. The owl, resting calmly in her arms, seems less like a captured animal than a companion. Etched with soft lines to indicate its delicate plumage, the bird stares back at us with a sort of knowing look, entirely at ease.

What might have been a straightforward portrayal of maternal care is, in Osuitok’s hands, transformed into something more enigmatic and poetic: a portrait not just of kinship but of harmony between human and animal, seriousness and play.

1. Blodgett, “Osuitok Ipeelee”, Inuit Art: An Anthology, 1988, p. 46

2. Ibid., p. 45

ND