Literature:

Marie Bouchard, "Old Master: Oonark," Inuit Art Quarterly, Winter 1987, Vol. 2, No.1, pg. 7

Woman is illustrated in Jean Blodgett and Marie Bouchard, Jessie Oonark, A Retrospective, Winnipeg Art Gallery, exh. cat., 1986-7, pg. 112, pl. 37

Patrick Furneaux et al., Arts of the Eskimo: Prints, 1974, pg. 196-7

The Inuit Print, exh. cat., from the National Museum of Man (Ottawa, ON), 1977, pg. 200-1, pl. 114

Note:

The inaugural Baker Lake Print Collection was released in 1970 and exhibited at the Edmonton Art Gallery to critical acclaim. In this exhibition, “Oonark’s work ... figured prominently [and] the print catalogue cover featured the impressive Oonark print, Woman.”

“The Baker Lake print shop made its debut into contemporary graphic art with a catalogue featuring this exciting print on its cover. Geometry, abstraction, design and activated symmetry are all combined to bring out the very real image of a woman in her winter dress. The brilliant colours emphasize the contrasting shades of caribou skin, beautifully assembled to form a traditional design on the parka. With this print Oonark set a style for herself to which she has remained true - strong and explicit use of line, an intelligent positioning of mass and daring choice of colour. [Printer, Thomas] Manik, inspired by Oonark’s splendid drawing, cut the stone and printed the edition with a deep understanding of the subject.”

“The influence on Oonark’s prints of her work in appliquéd wall hangings is obvious in this figure, with its broad, flat colour areas. The inset patterns of traditional caribou clothing are formalized in a brilliantly coloured decorative pattern.”