Lot 86
OSUITOK IPEELEE, R.C.A. (1923-2005)
Additional Images
Provenance:
Images Boréales, Montreal, 1990
The Collection of Bill Johnstone
Literature:
Susan Gustavison, Northern Rock Contemporary Inuit Stone Sculpture (exhibition catalogue), McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, 1999, page 64.
Note:
“When I’m doing a caribou, I first make the outline of the animal starting with the muzzle, the nose, and then I work my way down to the body. Then I work on the leg areas. The standing caribou are more difficult than the kneeling ones. I work with files when I am doing the legs and ears. The ears are the last thing I do because they tend to break off. So I finish with those.
I don’t use the grinder to make the form because sometimes there are areas that you tend to cut into too deeply, something you’re not supposed to do. I prefer to use an axe and a saw. Also I use files that you use for steel (rasps) and then I switch to files for the finer work.
For balancing I make sure the base is smooth and flat so that the caribou doesn’t tip to the front or side.
I just make sure that the bottom of the hooves is perfectly level. I use a level like carpenters use in construction work. I make sure the base is a little bit thick before I start to get it level."