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Okanagan artist unfolds giant art sculpture in Victoria

Lotus Unfolding took 16 months to create in the Wade courtyard
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Vernon’s Deborah Wilson created a giant jade sculpture at a Victoria complex, which took 16 months to create. (Contributed)

A 16-month endeavour has finally bloomed for a local artist commissioned in Victoria.

Deborah Wilson has lived and worked in Vernon as a jade artist for many years. Her latest work is the completion and installation of a monumental sculpture in jade for Victoria’s new residential/commercial complex called the Wade.

“The installation of Lotus Unfolding had to occur eight months before the complex was completed,” Wilson said. “The project took 16 months from procurement of the jade boulder weighing 950 pounds to the final polishing stages where it is estimated to weigh 750 lbs.”

The public now has access to view the jade lotus found in the spacious courtyard in between the north and south buildings between 7 a.m. ad 7 p.m. at 1105 Pandora Ave.

This Nephrite jade boulder was mined in Provencher Valley, in northern B.C., where Wilson was once a guest in the 1980s.

Her long-term goal has been to take on commissions like this one and to encourage the use of this gorgeous stone for public art or strata venues in our Canadian cities.

“Known for its striking greens, Nephrite jade is famous for being the toughest stone on the planet due to its interlocking fibres, making it a perfect choice for a developer looking for that special piece in a courtyard or foyer,” Wilson said.

READ MORE: Vernon local wins gold medal for jade sculpture ‘Earth Mother’

READ MORE: Vernon jade sculptor is off China for international exhibition


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Jennifer Smith

About the Author: Jennifer Smith

Vernon has always been my home, and I've been working at The Morning Star since 2004.
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