November in my part of the world is a time when the
willows both native and otherwise really show off their
colour. On these dark and dreary days that we have
been having they glow like lamps in the landscape.
However this Friday morning we were delighted by
bright sunny skies and brisk temperatures.
The early morning frost can be blamed for "inspiring" the
early snow in this piece. This was painted in a very
historic part of Victoria, which is now part of the
Gorge Waterway park system. However starting in
the early 1900's this was the terminus on the Gorge Loop
of the long since vanished BC Electric street car system.
It became a site of beautiful gardens, amusements, plays
and musical performances. For many years the Takata
family had a wonderful floating tea house and Japanese
strolling garden here. There was also a large sampan that
could be boarded in Victoria's inner harbour and ridden
to the tea house and surrounding park. There is
an effort underway to restore some of the old
Japanese garden to its former glory, which was heavily
vandalized and slowly destroyed following the
invasion of Pearl Harbour in WWII.
For a more detailed history, complete with some
wonderful old photo's please refer to Dennis Minaker's
fantastic book 'The Gorge of Summers Gone' A History
of Victoria's Inland Waterway.
Oil on wood panel 11 x 14.
Your thoughts and comments are always welcomed!
Jeffrey
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Please email me for information about purchasing
this painting using PayPal's secure on-line system.
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"From the blue-black of night, beyond where the campfires flicker,
a latern-lit boat nears the jetty where a temple-roofed
building is both refreshment booth and landing stage...
its a merry throng that debarks to return to the park
over the three semi-circular arched bridges."
-Colonist newspaper, July 19, 1908
Winter on southern Vancouver Island often
