Introduction: Ted Harrison I admit I had never read The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service- I only ever listened to it. Growing up in Canada one of the (many) family Christmas traditions has been to tune into Jean Shepherd’s Christmas eve reading of The Cremation of Sam McGee on CBC radio. Nothing brought our family together better than a big fire, on a frigid Canadian winter’s night, with a special Christmas broadcast over the radio waves…    On a Christmas Daywe were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.Talk of your cold! through the parka’s foldit stabbed like a driven nail.If our eyes we’d close, then the lashes froze till sometimeswe couldn’t see;It wasn’t much fun, but the only one to whimperwas Sam McGee. Back in September when Best Made began its preparations for the Winter 2010-11 release, my mother happened to send me a copy of the Ted Harrison illustrated version of The Cremation of Sam McGee. I opened the book up and out poured these bold, graphic, colorful pictures of Yukon landscapes. I had never laid eyes on Harrison’s images before but in an odd way they felt like they had been whispering in my ear for a long time. Be it paintings or photography, nature is so often depicted on such saccharine, over-glorified terms (the “Ansel Adams effect” if you will). Harrison’s images are simple, iconic, rhythmic impressions that tell real stories about real parts of the world. Harrison speaks in universal terms we can relate to, but does so leaving so much to the imagination. — Peter Buchanan-Smith  Stay tuned in the next day or two as Best Made releases some limited edition serigraphs and posters by Ted Harrsion.
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Introduction: Ted Harrison

I admit I had never read The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service- I only ever listened to it. Growing up in Canada one of the (many) family Christmas traditions has been to tune into Jean Shepherd’s Christmas eve reading of The Cremation of Sam McGee on CBC radio. Nothing brought our family together better than a big fire, on a frigid Canadian winter’s night, with a special Christmas broadcast over the radio waves…   

On a Christmas Day
we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka’s fold
it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we’d close, then the lashes froze till sometimes
we couldn’t see;
It wasn’t much fun, but the only one to whimper
was Sam McGee.

Back in September when Best Made began its preparations for the Winter 2010-11 release, my mother happened to send me a copy of the Ted Harrison illustrated version of The Cremation of Sam McGee. I opened the book up and out poured these bold, graphic, colorful pictures of Yukon landscapes. I had never laid eyes on Harrison’s images before but in an odd way they felt like they had been whispering in my ear for a long time. Be it paintings or photography, nature is so often depicted on such saccharine, over-glorified terms (the “Ansel Adams effect” if you will). Harrison’s images are simple, iconic, rhythmic impressions that tell real stories about real parts of the world. Harrison speaks in universal terms we can relate to, but does so leaving so much to the imagination.

— Peter Buchanan-Smith 

Stay tuned in the next day or two as Best Made releases some limited edition serigraphs and posters by Ted Harrsion.

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