The Grande Dames of the Cariboo

But in searching for Sonia, Fowler found an unanticipated new friend in Sonya‘s mother, Vivian Cowan (1893 to 1990). Vivian became a much larger part of the story than Fowler could possibly have imagined. She had discovered the hidden gem.

In 1945, Vivian Cowan founded the Cariboo Art Society with noted Canadian Group of Seven painter A.Y. Jackson. She had met Jackson earlier that year at the Banff School of Fine Arts, as well as another Canadian artist of note, Joseph Plasket. Both painters, along with many others, would visit Vivian and her daughters, Sonya and Dru, at their property near 150 Mile House, the Onward Ranch. Vivian and Sonya became the Grand Dames of the Cariboo, hosting some of Canada‘s greatest talent and at the same time promoting the work of local artists and creators.

In this genre-bending work, Fowler expertly and creatively weaves her search for an understanding of her own passage for art and her love for the Cariboo with a mesmerizing story of creative life in one of BC’s earliest pioneer communities.

Julie Fowler recently completed her MFA in creative writing at UBC Okanagan and has a background in art history. Passionate about art and the Cariboo, Julie is the Executive Director of Island Mountain Arts in the tiny historic town of Wells, B.C, where she helped create the Arts Wells Festival of All Things Art.