Acrylic
Canvas
24” x 18”
Acrylic on Canvas
Echoes of the Real
Nature, Landscape, surreal: Surreal
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A view stretches across Raleigh Passage toward the towering mainland mountains that rise dramatically in the distance—those dark, jagged peaks partially obscured by swirling clouds and mist. Below the mountains, the dense green terrain of the islands spills into the water, softened by rolling fog and atmospheric layers that twist and curl like vapor spirits navigating the coastline. The passage itself—part of the waterways near Fife Sound—shimmers in the foreground. To the right, a rocky outcrop supports a sloping tree line that leans over the water’s edge, resilient against time and weather. The forms are grounded in realism, but each is subtly distorted.
Tags: Canada, Echo Bay, Pacific Ocean, The West Coast
This piece was painted on a boat anchored in Marijuana Bay in 2006—just north of Echo Bay on the northwest side of Gilford Island, nestled in the Broughton Archipelago off the central coast of British Columbia. It’s a surreal vision of the view I had from that very spot.
I was there with my ex-wife, a Canadian who had spent part of her childhood in this remote and beautiful region. It was a homecoming for her—and an unforgettable chapter for us. She worked as a chef at a nearby fishing lodge in Blackfish Sound while I took on freelance carpentry gigs to support our time there. We lived humbly, but the experience was rich with wild, unfiltered nature and moments of stillness that etched themselves deep in my mind.
The painting reflects that atmosphere—where clouds moved like spirits through sharp, jagged mountains, and where ancient trees clung to stone like memories refusing to let go. We lived and worked in houses that were floating on logs and would rise up and down with the tides….I remember rowing a boat out to the islands and finding white clamshell beaches and ancient rainforests. My time here will never be forgotten.
