13" Owl with Inlayed Eyes by Palaya Qiatsuq

Inuit art: Owl with Inlay Eyes and Beak       
Inuit Artist: Palaya Qiatsuq
Size: 13" across (12" vertical), 7­­­­" wide, 2.5" deep, 6.1 lbs
Community: Cape Dorset, NU
Stone: Serpentine
id: dfa-6610NbdjjyRED

The tenuous embroidery and visages of Palaya Qiatsuq's owls have rendered his craft as a distinctive, yet prominent, mainstay for galleries alike. His work's fastidious proportions and exquisite beauty have allowed Qiatsuq's depiction of Northern wildlife to be celebrated among the avant-garde circles of Inuit art. Solo works and publications by him have been adopted and praised worldwide.

Everything about this piece is perfect. From the intense black stone, to the full motion of the owl dancing. The inlayed eyes contrast remarkably well against the dark stone and give that electric feel to the piece. The eyes are so captivating and are made with caribou antler. 

The refinement and polish are also beautifully composed. The size of this carving is quite large and can easily be a centrepiece for any home. Qiatsuq's owls are in extremely strong demand, I had to wait for quite some time before obtaining this one.

Palaya Qiatsuq (1960)

Palaya Qiatsuq was born in Cape Dorset and began carving around 1977. He learned to carve from his father, the well known sculptor and print maker, Lukta Qiatsuk. Palaya works in soapstone and bone and carves each sculpture with much attention to detail.

Collections
Amway Environmental Foundation Collection, Ada, MI

Exhibitions
2001 Small Sculptures By Great Artists, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto, ON
2000 Padlaya Qiatsuk: The Artist's Hand Inuit Sculpture Portfolio, Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC
2000 Seven Emerging Artists From Cape Dorset, Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC
1998 Sculpture From The Canadian Arctic, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto, ON
1997 Singing & Dancing & Playing, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto, ON
1997 Stone & Bonde, The Inuit Master Carvers of the Canadian Arctic, The Northwest Company, Sun Valley Centre for the Arts and
Humanities, Ketchum, ID
1996 Small Sculptures by Great Artists V, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto, ON
1995 Miniaturen, Inuit Galerie, Mannheim, Germany
1994 The Great Northern Arts Festival, Inuvik, NU
1994 Three Young Carvers From Cape Dorset and Drawing by Aoudla Pudlat, Albers Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1993 Sculpture and Graphics from Cape Dorset, Art Space Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1993 The Next Generation - Inuit Sculpture, Gallery Indigena, Stratford, ON
1993 The Theme of Transformation in Inuit Sculpture,The Isaacs/Innuit Gallery, Toronto, ON
1991 Granville Island Canadian Inuit Sculpture Exhibition, Vancouver Inuit Art Society, Vancouver, BC
1989 Arctic Images: Major Sculptures by Canada's Leading Contemporary Inuit Artists, D/Erlien Fine Art Ltd, Milwaukee, WI
1989 Masters of the Arctic: An Exhibition of Contemporary Inuit Masterworks, Amway Corporation, United Nations General Assembly, New
York, NY
1988 Tundra and Ice: Stone Images of Animals and Man, Orca Aart, Chicago, IL
1987 L'art Inuit, l'Iglou Art Esquimau, Douai at Chambre de Commerce de Chateauroux, France
1986 L'art et la Matiere: Peintures au Sable de Claude Durand - Sculptures d'Art Esquimaux Conseil Municipal, Deauville-Touques, France
1986 A New Selection of Masterful Sculptures from Cape Dorset, Houston North Gallery, Lunenburg, NS
Our Land Transforming: Celebrating the Enduring Spirit of the Inuit, Arctic Raven Gallery, Friday Harbour, WA

Publications
2005 Cape Dorset Sculpture FEATURED PAGE 98, 99
1989 MASTERS OF THE ARCTIC: An Exhibition of Contemporary Inuit Masterworks, Ada, MI, Amway Corporation

PROUDLY CANADIAN SINCE 2008