Bones to the Bay

A semi-frozen North Saskatchewan River drifts towards the Hudson’s Bay, and tells the visual story of John Rowan’s remains being shipped to Quebec. White spherical shapes float down a black river, evoking images of early winter, with the water of the North Saskatchewan clear and dark, and the lily pads of ice that bump and jostle their way downstream. 

The painting also sets out to tell the story of John Rowand’s bones being shipped to their final resting place. Prior to his death, John Rowand, Chief Factor of Fort Edmonton, had expressed a wish to be buried in Quebec alongside his father. After his death, to help fulfill his final wish, his corpse was reduced to a skeleton, and his bones were stored in a keg of rum and shipped to York Factory. They were then transported to London for a memorial service, organized by The Hudson Bay Company to honor his service. After which, Rowan was shipped back to Quebec to his final resting place. When the keg was opened in London it was discovered that the rum had been replaced with water.