There’s no denying it – I am a writer. I have published my column On Art in the Victoria Times Colonist weekly since 1986 and, with Orca Books and TouchWood Editions, I have seven books on the shelves. That said, my writing always is in the service of pictures.
I am best known as a painter of pictures of Victoria, and that pays the bills. But visiting art shows and artists’ studios is part of my ongoing education as an artist, and I try to turn the time I spend there to account. I bring back the stories and try to explain what I have learned from painters and sculptors in a way that makes sense to the general public. That’s a challenge.
My books – most recently Artists in Their Studios (2007) and Inside Chinatown (2009) have been, in essence, picture books. But they need captions and essays and much else. I also write inscriptions on my paintings sometimes, and have made scrolls and paintings which are only words, no picture.
When we get together I will show you how my words are always in the service of pictures.