The luxury French Maison Hermès launched a special edition carré “Into the Canadian Wild” to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary in June 2017. The other versions of Into the Canadian Wild were released worldwide in the Fall/Winter seasons of 2017. A portion of the sale proceeds was donated to the charity Evergreen Canada. The Hermès catalogue briefly described the carré as follows: “Canada is the second biggest country in the world by geographical area. Bounded by three oceans, this vast territory is watered by thousands of lakes. Its diverse fauna is protected in a host of regional and national parks, burgeoning with wildlife. This vivid evocation by Alice Shirley presents a swirling celebration of life, an explosion of colour. A majestic snowy owl, one of the symbols of the Québec region, soars amid the aurora borealis. Animals go about their daily lives by land and sea: polar and brown bears, salmon, narwhals, orcas and whales, stags, bison, bighorn sheep, caribou, snow geese, Canada geese, butterflies and owls are depicted in their natural habitats, among rushes, at the foot of a great sequoia, in the shade of a maple tree, surrounded by blue flax flowers, in the clear waters of a river... This carré is an ode to the natural world, a celebration of its inestimable value, and a testimony to the treasures of the Canadian wild.”
Upper Left: Hermès Into The Canadian Wild 150th Anniversary Special Edition
Photo Courtesy of Hermès
Photo Courtesy of Hermès
In this article, the personal interpretation of the contents and composition arrangement of lives in “Into the Canadian Wild” is combined with information on Canada’s National Parks, National Wildlife Areas and personal travel experiences. The following examples are contained in four colourways of the carré: the Limited Edition, Marine/Vert/Rose, Orange/Vert/Blue and Rose/Vert/Jaune.
The annual theme of Hermès in 2017 is Le sens de l'objet. Object sense alludes to “The meaning of the object” or “The sense of purpose” and refers to the motivation to pursue goals and dreams, to accomplish something meaningful personally or to make a positive difference for others. Not only does Canada’s breathtaking natural scenery depicted in “Into the Canadian Wild”, but it also reflects the healthy food web and the ecology of the human-nature relationship in Canada.
The healthy food web has an abundance of autotrophs which include many herbivores, and relatively few carnivores and omnivores. The balance of a healthy food web can reduce the risk of animals vanishing in the food chain and prevent the whole ecosystem from collapsing.
Canada consists of 13 political divisions: 10 provinces and 3 territories. The provinces are, in alphabetical order: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The three territories are Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon.
To conserve natural vegetation and wild animals, the Government has established National Parks and National Wildlife Areas across Canada. In 1911, the world’s first national park service, the Dominion Parks Branch, was established in Canada. To date, there are a total of 48 national parks and national park reserves in Canada. The goals of National Parks Canada are to represent and protect examples of the country’s geographic heritage and preserve its natural heritage for future generations by encouraging public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of nature. Furthermore, there are 55 National Wildlife Areas across Canada. The purpose of NWAs is to conserve essential habitats for migratory birds and other wildlife species, especially endangered wildlife.
Photo Courtesy of Hermès
Text by CloudWei.C
The artist Alice Shirley depicts over 60 flora and fauna from different landscapes across Canada on the carrés Into the Canadian Wild. The various landscapes include the frozen Arctic, treeless tundra, endless oceans, majestic mountains, steep cliffs, enchanted forests, rolling prairies, long rivers, breathtaking lakes, abundant streams and swampy wetlands etc.
As the aurora borealis pierce the silent starry heaven above the Wapusk National Park near the town of Churchill in northern Manitoba, the prelude to autumn has come. The Arctic Queen, a mother polar bear is gazing at the ever-changing aurora borealis on an iceberg throne. Below her cub is the title of the carré Into the Canadian Wild. Wapusk means white bear in the Cree word. The town Churchill earns its crown as the “Polar bear capital of the world” because about a thousand polar bears migrate there from July to November each year. Churchill is situated just beneath the aurora oval, it is also known as one of the best places to see aurora borealis on earth.
Three wild bison are walking in a line on the open grassland next to the lake at Riding Mountain National Park in southern Manitoba. There are currently about 2,200 plains bison and about 11,000 wood bison roaming wild in Canada. The bison is the official symbol of Manitoba’s provincial government. The Bison appears on Manitoba’s coat of arms and flag which represents the indigenous people of Manitoba who use the bison for both food and clothing.
The Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan is home to around 120 bison that belong to the Sturgeon River plains bison herd. In 1969, a group of 50 bison were released from the herd of Elk Island National Park in Edmonton Alberta. Between 10 - 15 bison moved south to the boundary of Prince Albert National Park and they are the ancestors of the Sturgeon River plains bison herd. Across the prairies in the Prince Albert National Park, bordered by the boreal forest, is the territory of the most elusive creature in Canada - the Grey wolf.
A majestic snowy owl flies towards the new moon above the treeless tundra at Nunavik National Park in Quebec. The striking and distinctive white birds are well adapted to the cold, windy region in the Arctic tundra. Since it is a symbol of the Quebec province’s support of wildlife protection, the snowy owl was the perfect candidate for the title of Quebec’s official bird in 1987.
Beavers, the largest rodents in North America inhabit the St. Lawrence River valley. They were once an endangered species due to overhunting for their fur in the 17th century. After trapping was limited and conservation efforts led to the re-introduction of these animals into their natural ranges, beavers have made a remarkable comeback over the last century. Because of its long connection to Canada’s history, the beaver is the most iconic symbol of Canada and represents Canada’s national animal.
Beavers use their teeth to gnaw through the wood and cut down trees to construct dams, and waterways form into ponds or small lakes where they construct hummock-shaped lodges with twigs, stones and mud. The ponds and flooded areas increased biodiversity by providing habitat for mammals, songbirds, amphibians, insects and waterfowl.
A grebe effortlessly glides through the water at the river bend near the beaver dam. Grebes are swimming and diving birds closely related to the loons but have lobed toes.
The Cape Tourmente National Wildlife Area is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. It is the favourite gathering spot for the snow geese during their migration in the spring and fall seasons.
Another colony of snow geese fly quickly at a high attitude in one straight line above the lakes near the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. In the carré Into the Canadian Wild, the white dancing snow swirls under the vast starry sky, the graceful snow geese blend into the faraway mountains in the background, and the dreamy white winter scene instantly transfers the viewers to the centre of an activated snow globe.
The world-famous Banff National Park in Alberta is Canada's first National Park, established in 1885. It is home to 53 species of mammals, 311 species of birds and 844 species of plants etc. With 82km of fences along the Trans-Canada Highway, Banff National Park has the most numerous and varied wildlife crossing structures in the world including 38 wildlife underpasses and 6 overpasses. According to the record between 1996-2012, the large mammals have been using wildlife crossing more than 150,000 times, that includes grizzly and black bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars, moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, wolverine and lynx.
On the carré, the artist depicts a Canada lynx with tufted ears lying in an old-growth boreal forest with dense bushes. These excellent forest and snow hunters change their fur colours to camouflage themselves and match the surrounding habitat in different seasons.
Bighorn sheep are excellent rock climbers and occupy the steep cliff at Jasper National Park in Alberta. The rocky habitat provides protection for the bighorn sheep from their predators such as coyotes, golden eagles, cougars, bears, and Canada lynxes. The rocks contain the minerals that a bighorn needs to build up a strong and healthy body. The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep was selected as the official mammal of Alberta on August 18, 1989.
The fearless great-horned owls are common all over Alberta. They reside year-round in forests and natural river valleys. The great horned owl was voted by province-wide children as Alberta’s official bird in 1977.
The tough grey jays are year-round residents in Canada. They live in all 13 provinces and territories in Canada. These large, round-headed songbirds are an iconic Canadian species known for their friendly spirit. Grey jay is Canadian Geographic's official choice for the National Bird of Canada.
The forest doctor pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America. The bird has a black body with white stripes on its throat and neck. The flaming red crest makes it easy to recognise among the 13 species of woodpecker that live in Alberta.
The stately elks are one of the largest species in the deer family, they live along with the eastern shadow of the Rocky Mountains in the high basins and foothills. A set of antlers on a mature male elk can weigh up to 40 pounds.
The curious river otters have long, sleek bodies with dense, glossy brown fur from head to toe. The North American river otter is a semi-aquatic mammal that only lives on the North American continent. The aquatic habitats that they prefer to live in such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and marshes. Once thriving in southern Alberta, their numbers seem to be increasing and appear at Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta.
The fierce bald eagles are mobile and opportunistic scavengers who nest in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta and the Pacific coast of Canada. The powerful handsome bald eagle isn't actually bald. The white feathers covering their heads and tails against the brown feathers on the body make them seem bald from a distance. Its name comes from the word “piebald,” which means having irregular patches of two colours, typically black and white.
The Pacific west coast is home to the largest animals on the planet. Humpback whales can grow to around 15 metres long and up to 30 tonnes. One of the most noticeable characteristics of humpback whales is their long flippers.
Orcas also known as killer whales, are the enemies of humpback whales and often appear in the same area. They have been confirmed as the ocean’s apex predator by scientists. They actively hunt humpback whale calves and other mammals even attracting adult humpback whales and great white sharks. Humpback whales will vigorously defend their own calves when attacked by orcas.
Millions of salmon migrate up streams from the ocean to freshwater in British Columbia between September to December each year. They swim against streams and return to their spawning gravel beds in rivers. The annual salmon run attracts bald eagles, ravens, grizzly bears and Kermode bears. The Pacific Salmon was selected for the list of B.C.'s official symbols in February 2013.
The Khutzeymateen is located in a remote inlet north of Prince Rupert in British Columbia. It is Canada’s first designated grizzly bear sanctuary which is accessible only by water or air. It is home to between 50 to 60 grizzly bears.
The spirit bear is one of the rarest animals on the planet and lives in the Great Bear Rainforest. They are found only in the Great Bear Rainforest. Kermode bears are a subspecies of black bears, and most of them have black coats. Spirit bears are black bears with a recessive genetic mutation that turns their regular charcoal-coloured fur into a creamy white. Their white-coloured fur is an advantage when catching salmon duo their white fur makes them harder for the salmon to see. Kermode bear was named B.C.'s mammal emblem under the Provincial Symbol and Honours Act in May 2006.
Steller’s Jays are large songbirds with striking bright blue and black feathers and are among the few Jays with crests in the world. They are frequently seen in the Rocky Mountains. Steller’s Jay is the provincial bird of British Columbia.
The venturesome blue jay is Prince Edward Island’s official bird. The artist depicts a blue jay perched on a branch of a chokeberry tree. The chokeberry is a native shrub to Canada and the fruit turns bright red in early winter.
Red foxes have supersonic hearing and are indigenous to the woods and fields of Prince Edward Island. It is the provincial animal of Prince Edward Island. The coat of arms of Prince Edward Island consists of a Blue Jay and two silver foxes. The silver fox is a rare mutation of the red fox. The silver foxes symbolise the importance of the ranched fur industry in the Province’s history. To denote the Island industries, one fox wears a garland of potato blossoms, and another one wears a length of fishing net.
The clever raccoon is best known for its mischievous-looking black face mask against the white patches on top of its eyes and around its nose. They prefer heavily wooded areas with access to trees, water and abundant vegetation.
The orange wings are laced with black lines and bordered with white dots making the monarch butterfly one of the most recognizable butterflies in the world. In their southern migration season, up to 500,000 monarchs migrate from Canada to Mexico for the winter. Point Pelee National Park is a temporary home to thousands of migrating Monarch butterflies during autumn each year.
The cougar is the largest and most powerful wild cat in Canada and is found in the remoteness of unspoiled forests or other natural environments with very little human activity.
The fascinating wild turkey nests in the woods near streams in Point Pelee National Park in southwestern Ontario. These areas provide the inserts and seeds that form the majority of their diet.
Fundy National Park in New Brunswick is well positioned on the Atlantic migration route, and over 260 bird species have been identified in the park including the belted kingfisher.
Of all seabirds, common Eiders live close to the shore and feed during the day by diving to the bottom in waters from 3 to 20 m deep to take mussels, clams, scallops, sea urchins, starfish, and crabs. They can be seen at the Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.
The gigantic Canadian geese are the largest size goose in the world. They prefer living in or around fresh water. The prevalent Westland of Cape Breton Highlands National Park and its wilderness areas in Nova Scotia offer an ideal habitat for them. The Canadian geese are monogamous, the couples return to the general area to reproduce and raise the next generation year after year. Most couples stay together all of their lives. The female goose sits on the nest while the male stands guard nearby on the carré.
Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are common in Nova Scotia. Shubenacadie Sam is a famous Canadian groundhog who lives at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in the town of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia. According to tradition, the groundhog will emerge from its burrow on a cold morning and predict how much longer winter will be. The visitors will arrive there before dawn on Groundhog Day, or February 2nd to watch Shubenacadie Sam’s prediction.
Common murres belong to a group of black and white, penguin-shaped seabirds called auks. They nest on the rock cliff along the coastline of Newfoundland and Labrador. With smaller wings than any other flying birds of their size and feet placed far back on their bodies, the innate advantage makes the murres become the swimming and diving experts.
Woodland caribou is a member of the deer family and it is the only ungulate with antlers on both males and females. Caribou cows typically produce a single calf each spring. In the carré, the mother Caribou and her cub are roaming in the taiga forest in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The toothless narwhals live in remote Arctic waters, however, there are about 90 per cent of narwhals in the world who would choose the Canadian Arctic as their summer home from June to August. The male narwhals have a single long, straight and spiral tusk that protrudes two to three metres out of the upper left jaw. Their best-known tusks made them crowned as the “Arctic Unicorns” or “ Unicorns of the Sea”.
The intelligent Arctic foxes make and live in the same dens for many years. The expansion of an Arctic fox den may have multiple entrances and a complicated underground network with tunnels and nests. The size of a den can cover several football fields in total areas. In the records, some Arctic fox dens in the Arctic have been in use for several hundred years. The coat of arms of Northwest territories consists of two gold narwhals guarding a compass rose and a mask of an Arctic fox.
The hardy rock ptarmigan nests in the cold Arctic and is one of the non-migratory birds native to Canada. The plumage colours of both sexes change throughout the year. In winter, both sexes of rock ptarmigan are pure white. The rock ptarmigan is the official bird for the territory of Nunavut.
Common Raven is a significant figure in several Yukon First Nations cultures which can be seen throughout the territory. The raven was adopted as Yukon's official bird in 1985.
Indigenous peoples or Aboriginal peoples refers to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in Canada. These are the original inhabitants of the land that is now Canada.
When landscapes are organized cleverly when using limited space, the art piece turns out magnificent and stunning. Alice Shirley arranges various landscapes with clever use of space, lines and colours to increase spatial dimension. For example, the art piece is arranged in a diagonal setting such that it has the advantage of diagonal line length to increase the visual depth. The wing tip of the snowy owl extends the visual effect and leads the viewer's eye to the infinite sky at the corner. The bent iceberg arch, majestic mountains and great sequoia trees encompass the deep valley view.
The artist’s signature pointillism painting techniques are applied to the bald eagle’s background which involves using dots of distinct colour to create the illusion of a forest.
Different winding stroke techniques are used by the artist from the sky to underwaters such as the dazzling aurora, meandering river, rapid estuary, and swirly salmon-run water scene. In the salmon run section, the transparency with everything looks blurry underwater, the sun rays pass through water and their light is scattered in all directions. A group of Pacific salmon swim together in a loose cluster, and bubbles are forming. This part of the painting makes the viewers feel like standing in the water, a school of salmon swimming toward them and suddenly making a sharp turn. The complicated salmon run painting is at a very high artistic level.
There is still so much to discover in “Into the Canadian Wild”. The art piece represents the outward appearance of Canada’s nature and the artist's inward significance. Like the description in the Hermès catalogue: “This carré is an ode to the natural world, a celebration of its inestimable value, and a testimony to the treasures of the Canadian wild.”
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