O' Victoria!

A few weeks ago we got to spend two days on the Island of Victoria, off the shore from Vancouver, British Columbia, and I was totally captured by the beautiful Butchart Gardens. It was a perfect day for being in the gardens – a bit of cloud cover so you didn’t have that bright, washed-out look on the flowers and landscape, and the photos that Paul took turned out great! With 56 acres and 10 gardens to explore, I think I could have spent a full four days wandering around the grounds and getting inspirations for painting. One of the most beautiful views was from the main house down to the inlet to the sea. In Jenni Butchart’s day, it would have been a clear, panoramic view of the water and mountain in the distance. Today, you have to peek between the mature trees, but the view is still incredibly rewarding.

This week’s painting, The Cove, 10” x 15” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features the spectacular scene viewed from the Wedding Garden near the Main House down to the sheltered harbor. To see more of my art, visit www.wildriverarts.com