Column’s end also a new beginning
Farewell to my readers. After almost 32 years of bringing you art stories every week, I have received a layoff notice. Now freed from the relentless deadlines, I can let down the sense of responsibility that this task has imposed, and grow in a different way.
Over the years, I’ve never had to look far to find something to write about. The artists in this community set a very high standard: E.J. Hughes, Emily Carr, Ted Harrison, Robert Bateman, Michael Morris, Roland Brener, Jerry Pethick, Stephen Lowe, Myfanwy Pavelic and Fenwick Lansdowne, to name a few. And there is a new crop coming up every year.
I salute the longstanding contributions of those who have helped to create a community of the arts. Colin Graham became the founding director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in 1952 and it was soon one of the country’s important institutions. Eunice Lowe arrived from Hong Kong as the young bride of Stephen Lowe, and, after his death, presided over an internationally renowned gallery here and launched his stellar reputation in China.
Fran Willis began as an interior designer on North Park Street, and soon directed a huge and vital gallery that was for years the defacto headquarters of our art scene. Elaine Monds founded and continues to lead Alcheringa Gallery, which has introduced contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous art and artists from Papua New Guinea to museums all over the world.
My life has been enriched by the good deeds of Barb Adams, who initiated the Artists in Schools program at Monterey Elementary, followed by the Artishow initiative, which has brought hundreds of artists in residence to every major hotel in this region, and as arts laureate has made Oak Bay the “arts capital of the capital region.”
I want to shine a light on Pat Martin Bates. She was a founding and beloved instructor who long inspired students at the University of Victoria, and created the Signal Hill Arts Centre, which became — and continues — as Xchanges. Now, at 90 years old, Pat continues to lend her support to more organizations than she really should. Despite the exhibitions and books about her, and her longtime presence at Painters at Painter’s Lodge, the profound mystery of her celestial creations is not yet fully understood.
If I had awards to give, I would honour Barry Till’s outstanding 37 years as curator of Asian Art at the AGGV; Jan Ross’s devoted and elegant work as the doyenne of Carr House; and the quiet but constant contributions of art historian, collector, patron and philanthropist, the late Judy Patt.
When I began writing, the Limners group of artists had recently formed to support each other, and that work was enhanced by the writing of Robin Skelton and photography of Karl Spreitz. I got my start in books and catalogues coming from Dick Morriss and his remarkable Morriss Printers, with their fine designers Bev Leach and Jim Bennett. Those days are gone.
I have fond memories of the Provincial Museum, which opened in 1971 and used to offer free admission. The creative crew who designed and installed the displays (Jean Andre, Alex James and many more) were at the centre of a constellation of talented artisans who enriched our town. Despite the good work of Kathryn Bridge at the Archives, they still don’t have an Emily Carr display.
From the museum, Peter Macnair brought the new generation of native artists to the world’s attention with the Legacy exhibition. The Hunt family shared Kwak waka wak’w art with us, and we went on to discover the other First Nations cultures, including groundbreaking artwork by Tim Paul (Nu Chah Nulth), Roy and Arthur Vickers (Tsimshian) and the Marston family (Coast Salish). Locally, Vincent
Rickard’s Open Pacific Graphics was in large measure responsible for the art form of native prints.
Open Space, the original “parallel gallery,” has for years owned its own building and thrived under directors such as Bill Bartlett, Jeannie Celona, Sue Donaldson and Helen Marzolf. Wendy Welch and her Vancouver Island School of Art are going strong.
Over the years, I have been employed for just one day a week to write my column — to research and write up my findings about this rich community. The newspaper work has led me to write books such as Artists in the Studios (2007); The Art Lover — Harold Mortimer Lamb (2010); and E.J. Hughes Paints Vancouver
Island (coming in April). As a homemade art historian, I have in recent years established a valuable relationship with the University of Victoria’s Special Collections Library, which is actively creating the “artists archive” of this city. Working with director Lara Wilson, I have looked into the papers of Ted Harrison, Margaret Peterson, Glenn Howarth and others. If in the future our city has an art history, it will be developed there. There is much to do.
As well as writing about this place, I have dedicated myself to painting Victoria in every aspect. Now, I’ll leave the deadlines behind and give more time to my art work. My favourite activity is to work on commission, weaving people’s personal histories into richly detailed paintings of their homes and gardens. In this way, my dedication to the history of our city goes on.
So, when you see me painting in your neighbourhood, please stop and say hello.