Inuk artist Tim Pitsiulak dead at 49, remembered for his 'heart of gold and endless talent'

Inuk artist and hunter Timootee (Tim) Pitsiulak,whose designs have appeared on the quarter and been featured in art galleries around the country, has died. He was 49.

Pitsiulak died Friday in Iqaluit, where he was being treated for pneumonia.

Born in in Kimmirut, Nunavut, to Napachie and Timila Pitsiulak, he is survived by his seven children and his wife Mary.

Based in Cape Dorset, Pitsiulak was a highlysought-after jewelry-maker, sculptor, lithographer and photographer, but he was best known for his drawings big, beautiful works in coloured pencil that depict both traditional Inuit culture and modern life in the Arctic.

His work is filled with Arctic wildlife, landscape, people and, on occasion, elements of Inuit mythology.

"I like to challenge myself, thinking what a story would look like in the past, with my imagination,"he toldNunatsiaqOnlinein 2014of his more mythical-styledworks.

Pitsiulak also loved to hunt and he drew inspiration from the natural beauty he witnessed on his expeditions.

"I'll take pictures of icebergs, landscapes, people cutting up walrus meat, people sharing whale meat. Stuff that's eye-catching, I guess, and that people maybe don't know we do while we're out hunting," he told NunatsiaqOnline.

• Inuk artist's design appears onquarter
• Cape Dorset exhibition celebrates Inuit art

In 2012, he told Walrus magazine that his dual hunter-artist persona was a big draw for art lovers in Canada's south.

"That's the best thing about being an artist and a hunter," he said. "What more can I ask for than that people are noticing what we have up here?"

2014 Cape Dorset print collection

8 years ago

Duration 1:34

Inuit artist Tim Pitsiulak talks about his work at the Nunatta Sunakkutangit museum in Iqaluit

Pitsiulak'swork hasappeared in galleries all over the country, including Toronto'sFeheleyFine Arts, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver.

Feheley Fine Arts paid tribute to Pitsiulakin a Facebook post.

"Tim had a heart of gold and endless talent. An artist and skilled hunter, he was a leader in his community. He will be greatly missed by all, both friends and admirers of his work. We extend our sympathy to his family," it read.

In 2013, hisdrawingof twobelugas and bowheadwhalewas featured on Canada's 25-cent coin.

He told CBC News in 2014 that bowhead whales are close to his heart. "I don't see them every day, so once I see them I cherish them and watch them," he said.