The Feather Room Story

The Eagle and the Raven are both prominent figures in Aboriginal culture. The Eagle is noble and wise, whereas the Raven is mischievous; however, both birds are associated with Aboriginal stories of creation and are therefore equally respected figures. As such, feathers are treasured gifts. They symbolize strength, power and freedom. Feathers are also used in sacred smudging ceremonies. This purification ritual is used to cleanse rooms, objects or people through the process of burning a collection of herbs and directing the fragrant smoke through the waving of a feather.

Artist Richard Shorty’s painting “Feather” depicts this

important cultural object in classic formline style. Within the body of the feather is the image of a human face. This represents the human spirit, which lives harmoniously with all of nature’s creations. Simply coloured in red and black, the artwork is a beautiful representation of various elements in Aboriginal culture.

Porada Design built the concept of the Feather Room around artist Richard Shorty’s “Feather” painting. They had Shorty paint an enlarged version of his original image at the top of the stairway leading into the suite, with a ribbon extending up the stairs to the feather to guide guests into the room.

Shorty painted the featured image freehand directly onto the wall. On the suggestion of collaborating artist Sabina Hill, the headboard was created using paddles designed by Shorty. Both works simply use red and black, colours characteristic of West Coast formline art. Porada Design selected fabrics and decorative accents in a warm palette of yellows and oranges to complement the art and finish the room.