Cariboo Forests Through the Seasons

Cariboo Handwoven and my email moniker, cariboojane, stem from the Cariboo region of British Columbia, where I've lived (so far) for 36 years. The Cariboo is more or less centred around Williams Lake, with unofficial boundaries to the north, east, south and west, depending on whose opinion you hear. This area has become a special place in my life because of its landscapes, people, culture - and its forests.

My "Oh Canada!" series began with special blankets for the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, BC. I was selected as an artist for the VIP gifting program, and six of my wool blankets left Prince George last winter for different parts of the province and country. This was a huge honour for me, and it inspired me to design and weave blankets that depicted Canada's forests in winter.

"Canada's Forests in Winter" | Oceans at each end with rock, soil and snowy trees |
Special design for the 2015 Canada Winter Games

Last fall, while staring out the plane window flying south from northern BC to Prince George, I had this neat idea to take that design concept to something more local - Cariboo forests through the seasons. I could show the green conifer forests overlayed with spring flowers, summer blossoms, fall colours and winter's snow. Then I would end with the first sign of spring.

I wove this blanket after a little ecological research to check my proposed species and their colours.

Cariboo Forests Through the Seasons | 100% wool | 185 cm x 127 cm (73" x 50") | Private collection

And I knew who deserved it: a hard-working, very dedicated, very effective volunteer in my community who I wanted to personally recognize with a gift. The recipient loves it!

The "Oh Canada!" series will grow and I already have more ideas. That same flight more recently gave me new inspiration for other designs that depict Cariboo forests and ecology.