A Time of Plenty

Simon Tookoome was a young teenager when his family relocated south from Chantrey Inlet on the Arctic coast to the Baker Lake area. He lived on the land as long as he could, before finally moving into the settlement in 1968. There, he soon took up both drawing and printmaking, making a name for himself as one of Baker Lake’s most technically proficient and innovative printmaker-artists.


A Time of Plenty, one of Tookoome’s earliest and most famous prints, was both designed and printed by the artist. This joyous image of abundance, slightly naive in its depiction of the figures yet quite sophisticated and powerful as a composition, is a classic Baker Lake print in several respects. First, it celebrates the close physical and spiritual relationship between animals and humans that is a hallmark of Baker Lake sculptural, graphic and textile arts. Second, it is a fine example of the combination stonecut and stencil printmaking technique as practised in the community. And third, it utilizes a bold, vibrant palette and sinuous design patterns.