A New Place to Paint – Studio Move to Parksville, BC on Beautiful Vancouver Island

When an opportunity presents itself, and it feels meant to be, I go with my gut and jump. No hesitation, I go and don’t look back. It is a characteristic that has helped me a great deal in my art practice, and I don’t spend a lot of time questioning, nor do I wait for perfect timing, as there is no such thing. That said, this feels pretty ideal at this stage in my career. A home and studio move to beautiful Parksville a place known for it’s expansive sandy beaches, low tides, sand dollars and it’s annual sand sculpture competition that attracts teams from all over the world.

We are a couple weeks in and as I continue setting up the new studio, and organizing my inventory, I have been busy exploring the new neighborhood and all it offers. Every day I walk the beach for an hour, I go in the morning and get to experience a shifting landscape as the beach changes with the monthly tide charts. Some days I can walk out for a mile and other days I am hugging the shoreline. The receding waves reveal oysters, clams, crabs and undulating sand ripples sculpted by the tides. Beautiful abstract sculptures and paintings made by the ocean and changing daily.

With these first few weeks walking and exploring I just want to be outside as much as possible as summer turns to warm fall. Beach days are still here and the land is plentiful. I can see myself doing some plein air painting here. It is peaceful and the ocean breeze carries a crisp reminder that the seasons are changing. The colours are muted with warm greys, cerulean blues and the shimmering oyster shells. There are hints of lime green with seaweed and vivid red oranges with abandoned crab shells abounds. The discarded clam shells offer creamy yellows and deep hues of purple on the inside.

You will also find structures built from logs on the beach. Places to escape on hot days, forts of the sea built from play and for privacy. These huts look like ancient remnants of villages which once dotted the land. Your imagination and building skills can take you anywhere on a west coast beach.

You will also find dozens of structures that look like people set on logs near the beach. The art of rock stacking is alive in Parksville. I have found similar structures everywhere from remote Newfoundland to Yellowknife on the Bay. Little human like stacks make you realize humans have been here and they have left their signature through their rock structures.

Beyond the beautiful beaches you will find an unassuming town that offers every amenity of a city. There are murals to been seen on many buildings and amazing eateries hidden within simple structures.

Beyond the streets is a wonderful Canadian art gallery, The McMillan Arts Centre. One of the oldest buildings in the area, the current McMillan Arts Centre started life as Parksville School in 1913. At that time, Memorial was one of the main streets in Parksville, and the building was a centrepiece. The Oceanside Community Arts Council (OCAC) purchased the building in the 1990s and the upper part of the building became the McMillan Arts Centre (the MAC). The MAC showcases the works of 2D, 3D and performance art. The MAC is also a place where various concerts, workshops, and rehearsals are held. The art scene in Parksville is strong.

Parksville is a place to make art and escape the big city while remaining close to the city centre of Nanaimo and not far from Victoria, BC. Parksville is considered part of the Oceanside community which includes nearby Qualicum Beach. Happy to be in this community and I look forward to learning more about what makes this town tick, beyond the beach. As I continue to get my new studio set up I am mindful of where these new vistas might take my visual stories of Canada.

As new paintings become available, you can find them here.