Pitaloosie Saila was a Canadian Inuk graphic artist who predominantly made drawings and lithograph prints.
15 Facts About Pitaloosie Saila
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Pitaloosie Saila's work has been displayed in over 150 exhibitions nationally and internationally, such as in the acclaimed Isumavut exhibition called "The Artistic Expression of Nine Cape Dorset Women".
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Pitaloosie Saila was born on July 11,1942,; however, several galleries give her birth day at August 11,1942.
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Pitaloosie Saila was born in Kinngait, or Cape Dorset, in what was then Northwest Territories in Canada.
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Pitaloosie Saila spent much of her childhood in hospitals in Quebec and Ontario, for treatment of tuberculosis.
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Pitaloosie Saila learned English through her hospital stays, and often served as translator for her neighbours.
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Pitaloosie Saila's mother died when she was two years old while her father was away on a walrus hunt, and she was raised by her grandmother.
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Pitaloosie Saila has stated that it was difficult for her to relearn Inuktitut once she returned to Baffin Island in 1957, at the age of 15.
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Pitaloosie Saila's husband Pauta Saila was a highly respected sculptor, and her stepmother, Mary Pudlat, has been a regular contributor to Cape Dorset print collections.
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Pitaloosie Saila began to draw in the early 1960s and immediately developed a personal style.
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Pitaloosie Saila participated in an annual engraving collection in Cape Dorset since 1968.
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Pitaloosie Saila tended towards images of strong, nurturing women or mothers with their children, and frequently drew birds and mythical Taleelayu figures as well.
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Pitaloosie Saila had numerous opportunities to travel in southern Canada and abroad in connection with her art.
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In 1974, Pitaloosie Saila attended the opening of her first solo exhibition in Hamilton, Ontario, and subsequent showings of her work took her to major cities in southern Canada, the United States and Europe.
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Pitaloosie Saila's works are included in some of the most important Inuit art collections, including those of the National Gallery of Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Canadian Museum of History.