Deborah Wilson

Vernon B.C. Canada

2014 Entry – Painted Turtle

I live in the Okanagan Valley in B C, Canada. This is where the northern tip of the Sonoran Desert transitions from sage brush to Ponderosa Pine forests, rivers and many lakes. 

The Painted Turtle is an indigenous species whose habitat, wetlands and marshes, is being threatened by the loss of nesting and foraging sites due to developement. This area is where so many people from the coast and Alberta want to move to for their retirement. Golf courses and subdivisions abound. Turtles do not anymore. This is one reason why the subject deserves attention.

I have always been fond of these endearing creatures. They personify doggedness, and determination. They plod along until they get to the nest or to the waters edge…..and then disappear into that other realm. To think they can survive the winters submerged  below the ice is another marvel! The Chinese say that the carapace (shell) represents heaven, the plastron, (bottom plate) the earth, and the turtle in the middle represents mankind. They have a thing for turtles. And so do I.

The block of Cassiar jade came into my hands this spring, it was the perfect shape and size for this project. The chromite inclusions are the brightest I have ever seen, an exceptional specimen from BC's northen deposit, most likely from the 60s.
It was a real treat to carve.

Dimensions: 10.5" L x 6.5" W  x 3" H

Past Carvings