Journal: News & Comment

Permalinks to this entry: individual page or in monthly context. For more material from my journal, visit my home page or the archive.

Art as history

In 1994, when I was often touring with my band, my wife (then my fiancée) would often meet us as we travelled hither and yon across British Columbia, playing grotty pubs in small towns. On one such trip to Powell River, the two of us found a nice restaurant for dinner, down the street from that town's particular grotty pub.

On the wall was a fairly large, poster-sized silkscreen called "Carmanah Mist," by B.C. artist Tony Wypkema (who is now also a Web designer -- small world). It shows a person in a yellow raincoat at the foot of a massive spruce tree in the Carmanah Valley on Vancouver Island. I've never been to the Carmanah, but as a lifelong B.C. resident, I've seen many places like it. Both of us felt drawn to the print, but never inquired about it or its price. I was a poor musician at the time, and couldn't have afforded it anyway. (I don't have a picture of the print either -- if I get around to photographing it, I'll post it here later.)

Some years later, after we were married and I had quit the band (I've since rejoined), my wife tracked down another print of "Carmanah Mist," had it wonderfully framed, and gave it to me as a gift. It now hangs in our bedroom. It's one of my favourite things, in part because it is beautiful and evocative, but mostly because she gave it to me.

 |