Skip to content

Local artists bring beach beauty, colour to Oak Bay Avenue

Business Improvement Association summer banners line the village
29712679_web1_220708-OBN-StreetBanners_2
Artists Paul Redchurch and Patricia Hindmarch-Watson show their work that hangs as banners throughout Oak Bay Village (Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff)

A pair of beach scenes adorn Oak Bay Village in the second instalment of its artist banner series.

Of the 19 submissions from seven artists, Mount Baker and Trial Island by Paul Redchurch and Almost There Grandpa by Patricia Hindmarch-Watson adorn the summer pennants that hang adjacent to flowering baskets along The Avenue.

Artist banners are sponsored by businesses of the Oak Bay Business Improvement Association (BIA). As new ones are printed each season, the series will eventually feature local artists all year.

“We are now showcasing Oak Bay artists for half the year and will soon expand to the remaining seasons,” BIA president Martin Cownden said. “With such a huge pool of talent here, the banners are a perfect opportunity to support our resident artists.”

READ ALSO: Oak Bay volunteers keep critical services running

The work submitted showcased a variety of styles and subjects, a testament to the range of talent that resides in Oak Bay. Submissions were reviewed and selected blind by a committee.

Born in England, Hindmarch-Watson grew up in Vancouver, moving to Victoria in 2008. She earned a bachelor of education double major in art education, design and graphics at the University of British Columbia, and her coursework includes classes at Vancouver Academy of Art, Emily Carr University and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

She is a member of the Victoria Sketch Club, Federation of Canadian Artists and the Oak Bay Community Artists Society and shows her work at the Madrona Gallery in Victoria.

On walks, Hindmarch-Watson tends to linger back and get photographs. Almost There Grandpa depicts how it sounds, family members on a walk painted into a memory and moment, rather than a portrait.

Her grandchildren, who frequently come to visit, are among her favourite subjects and people tend to appear in the landscapes, adding a sense of size and place.

Redchurch is a self-taught artist who works in pen and ink, watercolours and acrylics. Born in Hull, Yorkshire, England, Redchurch arrived in Victoria in 1957. While he had been drawing and sketching his entire life, he began painting full time after retiring from the BC Public Service.

READ ALSO: Oak Bay looks to bump home-based business rules up the priority list

A member of the Oak Bay Community Artists Society and Goward House Painters, he chose the Mount Baker and Trial Islands work because they’re colourful iconic landmarks.

The BIA represents 100 businesses along Oak Bay Avenue and feeder streets from Foul Bay Road to Monterey Avenue. The organization presents community events through the year, including the Oak Bay Village Night Market, Oak Bay Village Spring Nosh, Trick or Treat on the Avenue and Oak Bay Christmas Festival.

The market fills Oak Bay Avenue from Foul Bay Road to Monterey Avenue the second Wednesday of each month June through September from 4 to 8 p.m. The next night market is July 17.


Do you have a story tip? Email: c.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

c.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca



Christine van Reeuwyk

About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk

I'm dedicated to serving the community of Oak Bay as a senior journalist with the Greater Victoria news team.
Read more