download the portfolio as a PDF - Hunter Publishing

184 Jason — 50 years of leading by design
RIGHT: The beautiful double-variegated
rose from the Charlotte series.
BELOW: Custis Garden Camellia.
ABOVE: Inspired by illustrations from
Williamsburg’s rare books collection is this
modern rendition of Meadow Fern.
WILLIAMSBURG
Building on its success at the New York Botanical Garden, in 2007 Jason
was selected to produce Colonial Williamsburg tablemats in an exclusive
arrangement with the historic city.
Once the capital of the American colony of Virginia, Williamsburg is
one of a series of key Independence-era cities on America’s East Coast
including Yorktown and Jamestown. Yet, instead of being relegated to a
bygone era, Williamsburg has been maintained in its authentic eighteenthcentury
situation. The preservation is the result of a remarkable plan
enacted by local clergyman William Goodwin and financed by John D.
Rockefeller Jnr in 1926. With painstaking care to original detail and
relentlessly avoiding modern development, 500 colonial buildings in
the centre of Williamsburg were reinstated to their original condition
funded by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. In keeping with the
restoration, gunsmiths, apothecaries, coopers, and wheelwrights, among
others, continue to practise their trades marketing authentic reproduction
goods from the Independence era.
Jason placemats, coasters, and trays were a welcome addition to the
artisan marketplace. Florals tastefully led the way, with designs such
as Charlotte, Meadow Fern, and Lightfoot House. The most popular line
is Williamsburg Garden Images. The placemats were inspired by the
many historical gardens at Williamsburg, which have been painstakingly
re-created from historical documents. The Jason Williamsburg Garden
Images collection captures this in full colour, and has appeared both in
red and black, on cutting boards, mugs, lap trays, scatter trays, and even
a special reproduction wooden tray.
Moving Forward 185
LEFT and ABOVE: Garden Images, one
of the most enduring designs in the
Williamsburg Collection. The series was
produced with both a black and a red
background.