Articulation Study Session in Victoria - Day 3

Articulation members at work; Lesley Turner, Donna Clement, Ingrid Lincoln, Leann Clifford, in the inner harbour. The Empress Hotel is in the background.

First appointment was a morning visit to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria http://aggv.ca/ to see 'Kimono: Japanese Culture in its Art Form' with many magnificent kimonos revealing the complex codes and etiquette of garments in Japanese culture. Articulation member Shannon Wardroper shared some of her extensive knowledge of Japanese culture to give others a better understanding of the exhibits.

A 2nd exhibit 'From Geisha to Diva: The Kimomo of Ichimara'  is a collection of personal effects of one of the most famous geishas, Ichimara. 

Next were visits to the Fort street auction houses Lunds http://lunds.com/ and Kilshaws http://www.kilshaws.com/ to see if there were any maritime history artifacts that may be useful to acquire. There were none this week but it was fun looking.

There was a long wait in the line-up to get into the popular Blue Fox for a late lunch.

Next was a visit to the Royal BC Museum to see the current 'Vikings' exhibition and a search through the museum's other rooms for maritime history-related displays (no cameras allowed).

The Victoria International Chalk Art Festival is on. A large chalk drawing is being made on the floor of the museum. The distorted perspective makes it look 3D.

A walk back along the inner harbour, past the Empress hotel...

...and a variety of street theatre acts.

SALTS sail boats (floating schools) in the setting sun with the Robert Bateman Museum (Originally the Steamship Company building) next to the legislature buildings, across the harbour.

It was a day focused on getting a deeper understanding of the importance of the sea in the development of Victoria from a shallow place to pull up a canoe to an urban centre.

Mimkwamlis, Village Island

I also read Totem Poles and Tea by Hughina Harold, a teacher and nurse who worked in the village for 2 years in the 1930s. 

The Mamalillikulla people have left their village and now it is being covered by berry plants, wild mint and old fruit trees.

From the sea the location of the village is marked by the bright white midden shell beach.

Closer inspection of the beach reveals much beach glass and pieces of pottery and porcelain.  

I picked up a few mementos and plan to incorporate them into a work about my visit.

R & R On the Devon Coast

After a demanding graduation week in London, we spent a relaxing and rejuvenating week on the Devon coast, based in the idyllic beach resort village of Budleigh Salterton.
I like that the woman is wearing the same colours as the beach huts are painted.

 

 

 

Beach art using the famous Budleigh Salterton beach pebbles. 

The vernacular Devon boat

A picture-perfect village.
Again, those soft English colours.

Storm Watching

Last week Ron and I went over to the west coast to storm watch (and for our wedding anniversary).
We saw several 1sts, including surfers riding waves while it was snowing.
And we walked on a snow-covered beach for the 1st time.

But over all the weather was mild

At times it was sunny while it was snowing

So it was a surprise when we drove back home over 4 mountainous passes on icy, snowy roads to find the storm had happened across Canada, including Victoria (all schools were closed) while we had been in the mildest place in the country.

But last night a wind storm hit Victoria. We lost power twice, the 2nd time we decided to go down to the coast to see what was happening.

Birds had come in from the sea and all stood facing into the strong winds.

And, finally, we got to see how those massive logs were tossed high up on the beaches like toothpicks.

The breakwater at Ogden Point had waves breaking right over it.

While we were having hot drinks in a cafe to warm up, we phoned home and found the power was restored so we went home. Storm watching over.

Fundy Study

I have started working on a new body of work

It began with an Articulation study week, where we explored the Bay of Fundy.
Here we are stopped for a roadside lunch

I have decided to explore all things red because it struck me as the dominant colour whereever we went around the coastline.
Fields of red-leafed low-bush blueberries.

The earth is red

The sea is red

I have started collecting red threads
It is a start....

Frolicking on Volcanoes

While on Maui we took a boat tour of volcanic formations along the shoreline where lava had flowed from craters and vents to the sea shore.

The nimble pontoon rafts on a calm day were able to get close enough to the basalt were we could have reached out and touched it. We ventured inside compression chambers and wave built caves.
The most recent lava flow was 200 years ago and the area is overdue for another.
A bonus on the trip was seeing dolphins and whales close by and snorkeling with turtles. It was an exciting day on the water and made up for having to get up at 5:30 in the morning.

We moved from our apartment on the beach up to a B 'n' B in the mountain area, known as Up Country. We drove up to 10,000 feet to the top of the crater then went hiking. It felt like we were on top of the world. I must admit I had a headache which was probably caused by the altitude.

The weather changed every few minutes with clouds coming and going, adding to the special atmosphere of the place. It felt like the place where I was born, the volcanic area in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand.
I loved the whole experience.

Maui Shoreline

And across the Pacific, about halfway, are the Hawaiian Islands, that also have exciting shorelines.

Here are some images of our recent visit to Maui where we spent time exploring the shoreline of the island.

Steep volcanic cliffs, wild waves and unique vegetation kept us exploring even when the roads were narrow (one way in sections), winding, and rock strewn.

I collected a wide range of different coloured volcanic soil to stain paper.

West Coast Storm Watching

We had a few days on the West coast of Vancouver Island last week. Our mission was 'Storm Watching'. I want to see those power-pole sized logs being tossed like toothpicks high up the beach as though it was a game of pick up sticks.
But once again the weather was way too pleasant, though one night we did hear thunder and see lightening and we found a small newly-arrived log resting on the beach.
We got in lots of walks along different beaches and explored the area more.
It was a most relaxing time.