Isabel Rorick and Robin Rorick

Isabel Rorick and Robin Rorick
ChampionC
Fri, 11/22/2019 - 17:57
Isabel Rorick and Robin Rorick

Isabel Rorick and Robin Rorick

Spruce root artistry is a multigenerational tradition for Haida weaver Isabel Rorick (right) and her son, Haida artist and carver Robin Rorick (left). The Haida people come from the northwest Canada archipelago of Haida Gwaii. Isabel learned how to weave spruce root by watching her paternal grandmother (Naanii) Selina Peratrovich weave and listening to advice from her aunt Delores Churchill and her mother Primrose Adams. Isabel continued to learn by studying spruce root pieces at museums. In 2016, Isabel began collaborating with her son Robin, who also studied museum pieces and consulted his relative, Haida artist Robert Davidson, about how to design and paint on spruce root pieces. Robin was inspired to paint a raven on Isabel's spruce root hat (right) by the raven designs painted by his great-grandfather Charles Edenshaw on a series of spruce root hats woven by his great-grandmother Isabella Edenshaw. In an exhibition catalogue for the Stonington Gallery, where Isabel and Robin Rorick’s painted spruce root works are featured, they write: “We are all a part of a giant complex weaving of life that requires respect and love to further interconnection. The trees are nourished by earth’s elements and by the life cycle of the plants, insects, fi sh and all the other animals. In return, the trees provide gifts of life for all those who are living. It is the same for the roots that connect us to our ancestors.” Photo by Chuutsqa L. Rorick