Artist Residency at TCAC May - June 2023 (post residency update)

 I spent the last week of May and the first week of June in an artist residency offered by the Township Community Arts Council (TCAC) at the Esquimalt Town Square in Esquimalt. This new space is in the heart of the revitalized community at 503 Park Place, and features a welcoming light filled atrium with soaring ceilings, skylights, concrete floors and exposed brickwork. This area connects the new Esquimalt branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library, (which Mayor Barb Desjardins called "the living room of the community" at its opening last March), and the Esquimalt Roasting Company, a terrific coffee shop with an entire wall that slid open to the lively, people filled courtyard space, perfect for a people watcher like me! They kept me fueled with their delicious coffee for the duration of my residency!

(See bottom of blog for more details on Esquimalt Town Square.)

 The volunteer crew made swift work of the hanging

 

 

 

By the end of the first day I had made some good progress on my painting and had many fascinating conversations with the friendly folks coming to the library and coffee shop

This show contained these new 2023 works - I Am Sitting in the Morning at the Diner on the Corner

 

 

Look Up With Wonder

Myths and Fairy Tales Are in My DNA

My paintings really popped against the brickwork of the gallery space

 

 

Esquimalt Roasting Company
 

 

 Many coffee breaks were taken during the creation of this painting

(My friends brought me the pretty flowers!)

For several days during the two weeks my dear friend and former student, artist Sheila Thomas, joined me on site and we had loads of fun creating together. She was one of four of my former students that I invited to display their work during my residency. Here we had a few young assistants mixing it up on one of the canvases we had for the public to play on

I love to explore when I am in Victoria, especially the beaches and neighbourhoods near Dallas Drive and James Bay. Always delights to discover and appreciate

 

 

 

When I got a bit tired and hungry I stopped and had a fish taco and a glass of wine and enjoyed this view

So much creativity 

I loved this image so much it has made its way into the current painting on my easel

Breakfast on a sunny summer morning in a quiet little courtyard in Cook Street Village was perfection

My final day of the residency I finished Finding Joy in Small Things. It took me two weeks, as I stopped to chat and drink copious cups of coffee, all of which was highly enjoyable. What a fantastic opportunity this was! I am very grateful to TCAC

Finding Joy in Small Things (sold) and the Have a Cuppa series of 20  3" x 3" minis

 

About the space

 

"In the centre of Esquimalt, at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, a works yard had sat unused for more than a decade. The township had a vision of a vibrant core that would reflect the town’s friendly feel and progressive outlook. But they needed the right partner to bring it to life. Working with the municipality, we transformed this overlooked piece of land into a master-planned community with engaging spaces for living and working, as well as shopping, learning, relaxing and meeting. It’s now a lively town square that’s at the heart of Esquimalt’s next chapter. Our progressive plan for the public spaces included a plaza for farmers markets and festivals, a permanent art walk that celebrates local artists, and pedestrian paths that connect to the surrounding neighbourhood. Upon completion, we partnered with TCAC, a local community arts group, to hold cultural events in the plaza and open a gallery space in our commercial building, The Mill. This innovative mass timber building also houses a new public library, as well as 35,000 square feet of office space. Some of Esquimalt’s most-loved small businesses, including Esquimalt Roasting Company, now occupy the ground-floor retail spaces in the adjacent rental building." 

- Aragon  https://aragon.ca/ets/