Isabel Rorick was born in Old Masset, Haida Gwaii and began weaving under the direction of her mother, Primrose Adams, her aunt Delores Churchill and her cousins April and Holly Churchill, all elite master weavers. Isabel has been a champion of having spruce root weaving recognized as a fine art form; her work has been included in many commercial and public gallery exhibitions and is held in numerous prestigious private and museum collections internationally. She has also produced numerous cultural commissions for chiefs, elders, and other artists for their personal regalia. She will often collaborate with her sister to channel historic titles and subjects which determine the elaborate patterns and designs. Spruce root weaving is one of the most labour-intensive art forms, requiring the gathering of roots and soaking and plying of the material, followed by months of meticulous weaving to produce a single hat or basket.

Painting on spruce root is a rare skill practiced by only a few Northwest Coast artists. The design must be carefully planned in perfect balance to wrap around the basket or hat. The pebbled and patterned surface requires a steady hand, and mistakes are nearly impossible to correct, particularly with the fine lines often used in Haida design. The time and skill needed to produce painted spruce root pieces such as hats makes them among the most expensive canvases for any artist who wishes to consider learning and perfecting this art form. Robin Rorick studied with Robert Davidson, one of the few master artists of spruce root painting, and he has since collaborated with his mother on many pieces.

Raven and Eagle are the two moieties or clans of the Haida nation and are therefore often prominently represented on regalia pieces.

Gary Wyatt

References: For Isabel Rorick hats painted by Robert Davidson see Daina Augaitis et al., Raven Travelling: Two Centuries of Haida Art (Vancouver: Vancouver Art Gallery / Douglas & McIntyre, 2006), cats. 104, 107. Stonington Gallery, Roots that Connect Us All: Isabel Rorick & Robin Rorick,: A Mother & Son Collaboration (Seattle: Stonington Gallery / issuu, 2016, online digital catalogue).