Vancouver: Out and About

Painting is my way of documenting Vancouver; its light, weather, plants and human presence. I like to bring the large, outside world down to a small and intimate scale that can be enjoyed anywhere. 

Pacific Spirit Regional Park contains many important and spectacular native plants but with global warming I worry that their time in this area will come to an end and we will only know them by looking at their preserved specimens. So, I went out to the park and collected branches that were already laying on the ground, brought them into the studio and placed them in front of the window to paint their portraits using acrylics. Weather conditions outside varied for each plant but the verdant North Shore mountains remained a constant backdrop.

  I also found images to paint on my commute to ECU. I travelled by bus and on foot. During the walking portion, I was exposed to a high concentration of homelessness, addiction and cell phoners walking their dogs. Dogs I can handle but the downside of humanity was a culture shock. I know that I would not be tough enough to be bedding down for the night in a doorway on the main drag. 

  Arriving at the front entrance to ECU I could see through its back wall of windows to the church steeples in the near distance. This brought to my mind the dilemma of faith vs reason and does religion result in good or evil.

  Every day I head out the door to a new adventure; some big, some small, some good, some bad. You just never know.

Carla Burton