Porpoise Bay, Sechelt - Part One

Hopped a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale a few mornings ago and drove up to Porpoise Bay. My buddy Sheree and her man John invited me up for a few days of painting, exploring and just generally hanging out. John is an excellent chef, which of course just sweetened the deal. The setting here is spectacular. We are in a gorgeous art-filled house perched on the shore looking across Sechelt Inlet to Mount Richardson Park. I’m so happy to be here.

All this bold scenery, but the first thing that caught my eye was this a sweet little rooftop vignette I spotted out the kitchen window. I sat and sketched it while John and Sheree puttered in the kitchen, opening bottles of wine and cooking up a feast as we caught up on each other’s lives.

Here are a couple more sketches from my days here. The first came from a grocery run into town. I was driving and this view down a side street caught my eye. I had to follow it down for a closer look. I love the silhouette of the totems against the sea. It made me think of so many things, growing up in BC, learning about our First Nations communities, sailing in and out of places like this all along the coast when we had our sailboat.. This is on Shishalh Nation land, looking out to where the barges come to load before heading out to sea. A real BC moment for sure.

The next is the view from our studio window. I sat and sketched this through the window (that seems to be my current interpretation of ‘plain air’) as my buddy worked at her easel a few feet away. We shared a play list and a running commentary as we both noodled away on our pieces. I love these communal ‘artist at work’ moments. Reminds me of my days doing residencies in Europe, spending a month or so in a house with other artists, all working but also cooking, eating and adventuring together. Those moments doing dishes, riding bikes to the local market for supplies or collaborating on a meal were just as valuable as uninterrupted studio time. I feel like people who love to create kind of get each other in a different way. Love my artist friends. You know who you are ;-).

Shishalh Nation, Sechelt.

And of course some quick timelapse shots of the drawing of these pieces.

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