Nice... art

"Raven Lady" by Mike Camp

Ucluelet is just down the road from the town of Tofino on the outer coast of Vancouver Island. Tofino gets all the love though for its proximity to Canada's best surf beaches.

Nonetheless, Ucluelet is deserving of its own respect. Not as close to the major surf spots, but it has more of a home town feel compared to Tofino which feels increasingly commercialized.

These roadside sculptures from artist Mike Camp grab your attention as you drive into town.

"Surfer Girl" by Mike Camp

Fishermans Wharf

Water taxis among the float homes...

Water taxis coming and going from Victoria's Fishermans Wharf...

Here be monsters...

A sun-bleached sea serpent on Quadra Island...

Momento mori

Dust to dust

"Momento mori" is Latin for "remember that you must die". Legend says that slaves accompanying generals on victory parades in ancient Rome would whisper these words in their ears along the way. It was meant to remind them that their lives would have little significance in history after they had passed away. It served to keep the commanders from being consumed by their own hubris.

In another context the phrase is a reminder that each passing year brings us closer to our end. 

The start of a new year is an ideal time to consider whether we will make the best of life in each day, or waste it on the mundane and the inconsequential. Will we embrace life with gusto, or merely pass through it?

Choose your fate...

Unseen

Interesting lines and elements...

 I'm a visual person -- obviously -- so I tend to be drawn to art derived from photography and painting. However, I'm also a big fan of art with texture which is why I was drawn to this piece of art hanging in the hallway of a local office building. 

It was adorned with 3D elements such as shells inspired by it's theme of the sea. It was a shame that it was tucked away in a hallway where most people probably walked by it without a glance. It was the sort of piece that deserved to be hung in a lobby  There wasn't even a plaque to describe it or provide some insight into the artist or their inspiration for the piece.

Bouquet of Memories

No, not a scene from Yellow Submarine...

Today's image is inspired by a towering sculpture at Victoria's International Airport. The artist is Illarion Gallant who has a number of impressive art installations throughout the region. 

The name of the piece is "Bouquet of Memories". Gallant invited students and staff of a neighbourhood school to write a paragraph of their favourite memory. The collection of memories is sealed in a capsule inside the seedpod of one of the colourful poppies in the sculpture.

Eye of the beholder

Does it encourage contemplation?

 I'm not sure of the artistic merits of this particular bit of random beach art. 

It is a collection of rounded rocks stuffed in among the roots of a large tree that washed ashore during recent storms.

Thumbs up? Thumbs down? You decide...

The colour of fall

A fall tree glows in the sun...

Here on the West Coast we don't get the colourful fall foilage that the rest of the country back east does. We have to make do with the odd tree here and there... mostly everything here is just shades of brown and dull yellow.

Race Rocks

Pinniped heaven...

 Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is an ecological reserve located at the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

Because of its location in a high tidal current area, there is an exceptional variety of marine life that inhabit the island on a periodic basis. It is a haulout area for California and Northern sealions and a birthing rookery for Harbour seals. It is also the most northerly birthing colony on the Pacific Coast of North America for the elephant seal.

Haunted Victoria

There's a light over at the Frankenstein place...

Victoria has a reputation for being one of the most haunted places on earth. Maybe it's for that reason that it has been tapped by Hollywood as a filming location for horror movies over the years. Two popular filming locations are Craigdarroch Castle seen above, and Hatley Castle seen at the bottom of this post.

Craigdarroch Castle -- more of a large manor really -- is often used by local theatre groups to stage Halloween productions. It shows up prominently in The Boy, a horror/suspense movie filmed here in 2016. You can watch it right now on Netflix.

Some of the exterior shots for The Boy were filmed at nearby Hatley Castle. Hatley Castle has also stood in for the Mutant Academy in the X-Men and Deadpool movies, and Lex Luthor's manor in the TV series Smallville.  It was also a film location for The Changeling, another very creepy ghost story, back in the early 80s.

Victoria's Hatley Castle....

Lost Airmen of the Empire

 A tribute to the fallen...

On a wind swept rise adjacent to the Greater Victoria Airport, you'll come across this sombre piece of art. It's a tribute to the airmen who lost their lives in the great wars of the 20th century.

The artist is Illarion Gallant who has numerous high profile art pieces installed throughout the area. I like his art for the fact that it's accessible and unambiguous unlike say a banana duct- taped to a wall.

The Moss Lady

Serenely sleeping in the shade...

You'll find the Moss Lady tucked away in the shade of Victoria's Beacon Hill Park.

Artist Dale Doebert was inspired by the Mud Maid in Cornwall’s Lost Gardens of Heligan. The 35-foot long sculpture is covered with a specially designed clay-based acidic soil so that she will eventually be cloaked in moss.

Rock on

Messages to motivate...

Walking along an Oceanside boardwalk, my wife and I discovered these ocean rocks hand painted with messages of inspiration during the recent COVID lock down.

A horse with no mane...

Assembled horse deep in thought...

These equestrian wooden sculptures can be found on Mayne Island across from the Japanese Gardens.

Driftwood horses on the gallop...

Regal

Casting a royal look...

One of the sand sculptures from last summer's sand sculpting competition in Parksville BC.

Street art

A colourful mural adorns a cargo container...

My wife and I spent an afternoon strolling the streets of Puerto Morelos admiring some of the local art... and trying hard to dodge the many aggressive vendors.

If you hold your face close to the screen
she'll appear in 3D   ;)

La Conner cute

The residents of La Conner even park artfully...

On our recent trip to Oregon, we stopped in at La Conner WA. We discovered this picturesque community two years ago.

If you are an art lover, La Conner is your town. The main street features numerous shops selling art in quality from pricey fine to mass produced 'lifestyle' and everything in between. We have some of it sitting in our home as I write this.

All stair rails, veranda and posts...

Ghost in the wall

"I always feel like

somebody's watching me..."

Poke around the nearby Uptown Centre in Saanich and you'll see these mysterious faces peering out from the stonework...

Order from chaos

What is the meaning of these mysterious piles of beach stone?

What do these primitive stone totem poles indicate. A need to create order out of nature? A need to create art to contemplate? Signposts that simply say: "I was here."?

Who knows?

These cairns line the logs and shoreline of Parksville's main beach.

Kinetic

Abstract art on the move...

This collection of wind-driven sculptures can be found in the town of Ganges' main square on Salt Spring Island...