Submitted by Fatima Young.
Sylvia Carlton and I, facilitators for the Victoria Paint-out, took the Blackball ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria on April 25, a day ahead of when painters were to arrive. It was sunny and smooth sailing the whole way.
Sylvia was able to secure our lodging months ahead and our mission that day was to find the best painting opportunities and eateries. We found that the Surf Motel (where most were staying) was close to great old neighborhoods, a seashore park, the Beacon Hill Park and not that far away from Fisherman’s Wharf. These were all great painting venues. The restaurants we chose included one which had a ghost living upstairs and another with live music. We then traveled outside the city to locate countryside plein air sites for the second half of our paint-out. We asked for and luckily were given permission to paint at Mitchell Farm and Sea Cider House. By the end of the day we were so glad to have a great itinerary for our PAWA group.
There were 10 of us for the first couple of days of painting in the city. Beacon Hill Park was beautiful and warm as the painters started coming in. We spread out - Sylvia Carlton and Jane Wallis planted themselves in a field of beautiful Camas and I chose views of the duck pond.
The next day was windy and cold, but several of us persevered and painted some awesome neighborhood buildings including a storefront and Victorian street scene. It blew so hard that some of us were running down the street to retrieve a brush or a roll of paper towels. Joanne Onorato found a less blustery location on a side street and painted a lovely row of colorful houses.
In the afternoon, we moved to the Sea Cider House where Sylvia Carlton and Jane Wallis set up in the orchard near the bee hives. Katheryn Townsend positioned herself in the orchard with a view of the Cider House in the background. Close up views of the apple trees were had by Jeanne Edwards who took tailgate painting to a new level.
That evening all of us shared our daytime experience over dinner at The Bent Mast.
The next morning we all rallied to colorful Fisherman’s Wharf. The sunlight on the row of houseboats was exceptional, but the blustery cold wind froze some of us. Suzanne Burnell tucked in behind big rocks while Sharon McNeil sat on the pavement, both with stellar views of the house boats. It got really chilly which led some of us to retreat to the Surf Motel lobby to paint. We really felt the owner’s love to have our group there. Even the guests enjoyed seeing us at work! Everyone warmed up at the Heron Rock Bistro over dinner.
Eight painters traveled to Saanichton for the next couple of days of painting the countryside. We stayed at the Quality Inn, Waddling Dog, and an English Tudor Inn. We all gathered for a great dinner at a funky restaurant with Christmas lights called Zanzibar.
Mitchell Farm was an alluring subject - a long far off landscape where everyone found a connection. The sun was bright and the wind had died down to nothing. Under a large umbrella, Meg Wade painted a newly plowed field. Sylvia Carlton painted rows of leeks while Joanne Onarato and Jane Wallis painted the farm buildings.
Our last evening after a fun dinner at the Waddling Dog Pub, we had a Show and Tell with many awesome plein air paintings to share. Everyone had at least a couple of keeper pieces of work. All in all, it was great to get to know everyone and to paint with each other in an idyllic setting like Victoria - a fun and successful paint-out!
