Ted Harrison (Introduction by Robert Budd), “Ted Harrison Collected”, British Columbia, 2015, page 10, the associated serigraph illustrated page 28
The Caribou Hotel continues to operate in Carcross. It is one of the longest standing businesses operating out of the Yukon. Originally built during the Klondike Gold Rush, the hotel has undergone many adaptations since its construction in 1898. At one point the hotel was owned by Dawson Charlie, a co-discoverer of the Discovery Claim that led to the Klondike Gold Rush. Following the gold rush, the hotel was floated across Lake Bennett to Carcross from its original location of Bennett, BC. It is a designated Yukon Historic Site.
While Ted Harrison created hundreds of paintings, he also made a collection of silkscreen prints. Here we have a painted design for one such print. The silkscreens were a way in which Harrison could make his work more accessible to a wider audience. To best describe the colours that he wished to use in the silkscreens, Harrison would create a ‘map’ by painting the image in acrylic on a sheet of paper and then writing directions in black ink.
In “Design for ‘Caribou Hotel’” we see Harrison’s signature bright, flat colours and trademark subject matter: children, dogs, and birds. As the artist explained, “[r]avens are very meaningful to the Yukon. They are a friendly bird to me. They like people. They represent the Yukon.”
All proceeds from the sale of this artwork are being directed to the Ted Harrison Foundation (THF). THF is a registered non-profit organization whose mission statement is to support the ongoing development of the arts, artists, art education/educators and associated programs. You can learn more about and/or donate to the Ted Harrison Foundation by visiting TedHarrison.ca.
