signed lower right; signed, titled & dated verso
Provenance: Caswell Lawrence Fine Art Gallery, Victoria BC
Note: This work was inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. Harrison began working on this canvas shortly afterward. The painting was featured in a Victoria Times Colonist article the following February (2002). In the interview, the artist comments on his change in style, a style more reminiscent of his earlier work, reflecting that he enjoyed painting this piece. Regarding the symbolism and his process, he commented:
“I made a painterly sky, blood red it was, like fire, across the Juan de Fuca Strait. I made Canada – that’s Canada in the foreground – a cool blue. I wanted a solid building, a building that looked Canadian and solid, so I picked Munros’s Bookstore, and I added a bit at the top.
“The owl is the native’s symbol of death. Where you see an owl is death. On the right are two people scurrying away. I got the idea from a medieval painting of Adam and Eve hurrying out of the garden – the heavenly garden is going up in flames.”
It is rare to get such insight into one of Harrison’s works and the artist’s process here was thoughtful and personal. The original newspaper article accompanies the painting.
