Drawings from the Edge of the World
The last weekend of July was an extended weekend here in Canada. We took the ferry to Vancouver Island, which is the furthest west I have ever gone. Beyond it lies the Pacific Ocean. It extends for thousands of miles without pause. Every evening it swallows up the sun, and does not even break a sweat.
My first stop was for work. I’ve been commissioned by a BC-based construction company to make ink drawings of their best marinas and docks. One of them is in Victoria, the big city on Vancouver Island and, incidentally, the capital of British Columbia.
I walked around my subject - the Victoria International Marina - for a few minutes before deciding on the point of view I liked best. This is something I am able to do only when working on location, and I prefer it over working out of a photo.
There are many reasons why a photo is inferior to working on location. A photo is too fixed. It is too literal. As my guest explains in next week’s podcast episode - “In a photo everything is equally loud.” This is a major drawback.
Here are some details from the piece.
Afterwards we went walking around beautiful Victoria.
We closed the evening at Swan’s Brew in downtown Victoria, in the nick of happy hour.
The next morning, we drove up early to Cathedral Grove, stopping at Nanaimo for breakfast, to see some old-growth redwood trees. I tried to convey how big they were, but couldn’t do a good enough job.
(Left) the wife finishes her breakfast and I negotiate a large latte, (Right) my attempt to render extremely tall redwood trees.
That evening after another hike and a pizza dinner, we put up our tired feet and rested on the couch to watch the Olympics at our BNB.
Our bnb in Langford, BC.
This was a very short trip of only 3 days. Just as we were getting comfortable, it was time to leave. But we made the most of this final day - starting at the amazing Butchart Gardens in the morning.
Heading back downtown, we took a long walk to the Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria, a way to earn a big lunch of fish and chips. It was delicious, and the day was perfect, and I sat on the grass afterwards to draw this scene from outside the wharf. (click for details)
In the evening, we boarded the ferry back to Vancouver city. I made my final drawing of the trip on the top deck as the sun set on the western horizon, drenching the ferry and passengers in its orange glow.
Sunset on the ferry ride back.
There is so much to see on Vancouver Island, I need to give it at least another week. I’m glad that it’s just a ferry ride away, and that it’s such an enjoyable ferry ride. I hope to revisit later this year, maybe in a couple of months, to see the western side of the island, explore all the little towns, and maybe even dive into the ocean!