65 Years of Colour in 6 Kinngait Prints

Printmaking at Kinngait Studios is a collaborative process; the artist creates the initial design and the printmaker typically makes or prepares the printing plate and selects the colours in order to bring their collaborative vision to life. For graphic artist and printmaker Kananginak Pootoogook, RCA (1935–2010), it seems that colour selection was an important element that helped protect the printmaker’s and artist’s collective artistic licence. He stated that “the main reason why [printmakers] mix different colours together is to protect the prints from other people . . . they try to mix the colours in a way that nobody would really copy [the] drawing and also the colours.” [1] In the early years of Kinngait Studios in the 1960s, however, the potential of colour was not yet fully realized. Many prints from that era share a restricted palette that often featured black alongside one or two contrast colours or were fully monochromatic. These were not unlike the many graphite and coloured pencil drawings made at the same time, often used as precursors for print compositions.

There could be a number of reasons for the restricted colour palettes, including that a limited variety of ink colours were available in the early years. [2] One perhaps less acknowledged reason could have been the influence of non-Inuit printshop advisers in determining final colour schemes to cater to market tastes. Lukta Qiatsuk (1928–2004) was one artist and printmaker who recounted the printshop advisers’ particularity in achieving colour combinations that would appeal to consumers in the South. In a 1985 interview he recalled, “There was nobody who would be satisfied of the colours and [the printshop advisers] just kept telling us, ‘Can you do it this way, can you do a little bit more that way?’” [3] But over six decades of steadfast production at the studios have prompted print colours to evolve significantly, perhaps due to a combination of shifting art buyers’ tastes and increasing artistic agency or even the introduction of new printmaking techniques in Kinngait. By examining the evolution of colour in six exceptional prints spanning six decades, this article highlights the gradual development of different printing techniques—stencil, stonecut, lithography, etching and aquatint—as well as the printmakers at the forefront of these innovations.

In Three Walrus (1960), printmaker Iyola Kingwatsiak (1933–2000) reimagines Sheouak Petaulassie’s (1918–1961) graphite drawing through deceptively simple design. The scene captures three walruses compactly placed together in water—they look to be conversing with one another. While the medium indicated on the print is “skin stencil,” it’s unlikely that an actual skin stencil was used to create this work due to the stiffness and rippling of the material. Former General Manager of the studio Terry Ryan also revealed many decades later that no print using skin stencil was fully editioned. [4] The walruses’ upper bodies emerge in bold solid black ink, while their lower halves, rendered in navy teal, suggest submerged movement that often eludes the viewers’ eyes. The colour contrast between the defined contours above the water and the more transparent, flowing forms below draws us into the hidden world beneath the surface. Kingwatsiak’s use of black and navy teal is representative of the early palettes, often characterized by primarily black with one accent colour, and adds a unique depth to the print by evoking the effect of gazing through water.

Striking blocks of bright yellow and orange that adorn the bird’s belly and wings bring Pitaloosie Saila’s, RCA (1942–2021) design for stonecut print Bird of Sargo to life (1972). These vivid, saturated hues are warm and inviting, animating the bird with a sense of dynamic movement. Printmaker Timothy Ottochie (1904–1982) applies ink with a roller onto the cut stone surface, superposing one colour on another to create complex, nuanced tones. Saila’s print lends itself beautifully to the stonecut technique: the rich olive hue on the bird’s head is achieved by layering black over yellow, while the brownish tips of the wings result from blending black with the orange underneath. The olive stripe between the bird’s belly and wings bears angular edges left by the motion of ink rollers. These subtle traces of craftsmanship reflect the printmakers’ hand in the colour-layering process and make every edition a unique work of art. 

The stencil print Bird in Winter Clouds (1984), designed and printed by Aoudla Pudlat (1951–2006), invites us into a tranquil and dreamlike world. The bird spreads its wings outwards to create an effect that blooms and glows. The soft contours of the feathers make them voluminous yet lightweight as if floating among the clouds. Radically different from the palettes of the 1960s, the bird’s soft pink body is surrounded by plumage in baby blue, lavender purple and lemon yellow—colours that also became popular in the 1980s. Pudlat’s meticulous tapping of ink through stencil openings with a thick brush produces subtle tonal variations, making the composition radiate a soothing, ethereal atmosphere pulsing with colour. 

Mayoreak Ashoona’s print Vision of Birds (1993) is a stunning interplay of marbling and line-patterning, muted tones and saturated colours. This intricacy is achieved through lithography, a technique introduced at Kinngait Studios in the early 1970s, which allows for greater graphic agility. In this collaboration, Ashoona outlines the veering-on-abstract design, while master printer Pitseolak Niviaqsi, RCA (1947–2015) meticulously processes the complex patterns using two colour plates: one for the solid black and the vibrant grass green and another to achieve the marbling effect using Tusche washes with a green-tan-green blend roll. [5] Tusche washes are notoriously difficult to master: too much makes all the articulations vanish and too little fails to capture the desired effect. Niviaqsi’s expertise in this technique along with the care in precisely aligning the stone are essential to the rendering of the print. The dynamic contrast between muted washes and saturated delineation creates a visual tension, inviting us to further contemplate the rich complexity of colour as texture within the composition.

The print Arctic Evening (2003) by Shuvinai Ashoona, RCA, showcases lithography’s versatility by presenting a rich narrative scene. Unlike stonecut or stencil techniques, lithography does not involve cutting the printing surface. Instead, the design is simply “drawn” on a limestone block or aluminum plate with grease mediums. The fine lines capturing facial expressions, textures on the floor and details on various objects echo many elements seen in Ashoona’s drawings. Pitseolak Niviaqsi’s choice of colour, however, adds a tonal dimension to the otherwise flat composition. Warm lemon yellow illuminates the dark interior of a tent, creating a striking contrast with areas of grey-blue. This interplay of light and shadow adds depth, making the scene immersive as if the viewers are wrapped within the arctic ambience. 

Founded in 1978 in Montreal, QC, Studio PM has been producing etchings and aquatints by Kinngait artists in their offsite studio since 1994 and continues to produce many of the prints released today. Ooloosie Salia’s etching and aquatint After the Storm (2022), printed by Studio PM printer Noy dramatically juxtaposes the cold and the warm tones in a complex yet coordinated manner. Islands of cobalt blue rise from a vast expanse of cool teal sea, evoking the chill of the ocean. Beyond the mountains, warm hues of yellow, orange and pink pierce through the clouds, gradually illuminating the grey sky. During my own visit to Studio PM, Noy explains that achieving such nuanced colour gradation requires meticulous mixing of inks on the etching plate, a time-consuming process that requires great attention to detail. The creative play of colours amplifies Salia’s design, mirroring the vibrant palette often seen in her drawings and perfectly capturing the transformative moment after a storm. This vivid expression of colours, like we’ve seen in other featured prints across different mediums, marks a significant departure from the more restricted palettes of the early years and shows how colour at Kinngait Studios has evolved to convey a more expressive range of artistic visions.

Yonger Xie (she/her) is a writer born in Hangzhou, China and now based in Tiohtià:ke/ Montréal. She recently earned her MA in Art History from McGill University. With a background in chemistry and experiences in art conservation, Xie’s broader research interests explore the intersection between materiality, artistic processes and the relationship between makers and their mediums.

NOTES

[1] Audio recording of “Interview with Kananginak Pootoogook and Marion Jackson Discussing Colours Used in Printmaking. Translated by Mukshowya Niviaqsi.” (Gatineau, 1979).

[2] Kenojuak Ashevak and Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak (Toronto: Firefly Books, 1985), 63. 

[3] “An interview with Lukta Qiatsuk and Pootoogook Qiatsuk,” interviewed by Sharon Van Raalte, 1985, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, 4. 

[4] Susan Gustavison, “The History of Sealskin Stencils,” Inuit Art Foundation, June 16, 2020, https://www.inuitartfoundation.org/iaq-online/the-history-of-sealskin-stencils.

[5] Email exchange with Bill Ritchie on July 26, 2024.