Paintings Inspired by a West Coast Beach

In early September, I moved my studio from Victoria to Parksville on Vancouver Island. With this shift came new scenery, a quieter pace, and a deepened closeness to the sea. Since settling in, I’ve created half a dozen paintings inspired directly by the nearby beaches – work shaped by daily walks, shifting tides, and the familiar rhythm of the West Coast.

Nearly every day, my routine includes a long walk by the ocean. When the tide recedes, the sandy beach stretches into what feels like miles of new coastline, revealing areas rarely visible at high tide. Exploring these changing landscapes has become part of my practice. I grew up beachcombing with my mom on the west coast shores of Sooke, Jordan River, and Port Renfrew. We spent countless hours wandering slowly, eyes glued to the sand and the rocky seams where the waves meet land – searching for beauty, texture, and surprise.

West Coast beaches offer an abundance of natural treasures: sun-bleached logs of fir and cedar, rugged rocks, and gritty sand that shifts from Payne’s grey to raw sienna as it dries. Kelp and seaweed wash in with the surf, and seabirds animate the shoreline – great blue herons stalking in the shallows, gulls hovering overhead, Canada geese honking by, and sandpipers skittering across the water’s edge. The beach is never still; it’s alive with movement and detail, always asking your eyes to follow.

The shells alone could fill an entire painter’s palette. Clams, mussels, urchins, and sand dollars scatter the beach in sculptural arrangements. If you’re patient, you may even find a moon snail shell with its perfect spiral centre. Ancient-looking oysters, limpet “hats,” sea snails, weathered sea glass in ocean greens and blues, and the occasional dried starfish all contribute to this shoreline treasure trove. It’s a natural gift shop, continuously restocked by the tides.

With all this richness, it’s no wonder my recent paintings have become stories of the beach – reflections of this place, its rhythms, and the familiar West Coast magic that has shaped me since childhood. Parksville has already found its way into my work, and I imagine the shoreline will continue to shape my canvas for a long time to come.

Explore the other areas of Canada through the paintings of Brandy Saturley here.