The Oak Bay community has always been a treasure trove of artists, thanks to the leadership of some talented residents.
Way back in 1909, the Victoria Sketch Club started, and many renowned artists have taken part since, including Emily Carr. She famously tried to pay her Oak Bay doctor with a painting, which was refused with the comment, 'My wife makes all the decisions!" The works of the Sketch Club are best viewed during their spring exhibition, which has been held at Glenlyon Norfolk School on Beach Drive for the past 40 years.
A different arts group, the Oak Bay Arts Club, began in October 1944 under the fearsome leadership of Miss Marjorie Nickerson. Meetings were accommodated at Municipal Hall, first in the early one, and then in today’s building. The basement was where the artists met. Today, that space is used by engineers designing underground pipes for the district – a different kind of artistic endeavour. This club, which was capped at 70 members, is now disbanded, but in the '60s, the group used to visit Hurricane Ridge on the Coho and spend the day painting.
The Oak Bay Community Arts Group (OBCAG), featuring among its cast of characters Flo Elle Watson, Imke Pearson and Jill Croft, came together in the late '90s and initiated the very first Oak Bay Artists' Studio Tour, now copied by almost every district. At the same time, the municipality encouraged all the galleries to get together at Christmas and sponsor an art walk where fine works could be viewed whilst sipping fine wine! The OBCAG then proposed an arts show at Bowker Creek, which still runs to this day on the second Sunday in August, with over 50 artists. This year, Oak Bay's beloved first and only town crier, Kenny Podmore, is coming out of retirement to open it.
All of this artistic activity led to Barbara Adams (Tweed's featured artist) introducing public art all over the municipality. Barbara was the brains behind the public art at Monterey School, but when she left the school, Oak Bay called. Thanks to her and her team, all of us flâneurs can now enjoy public art on many streets we wander on. We all eagerly anticipate spring when the displays on the streets are changed.....check out the one at the bottom of Transit Road! It's the same block where two famous artists, Travers Smith and Fenwick Lansdowne, lived.
There are many ironies in life, and in an artistic community, there will be lots. In 2004, a logo competition was held for Oak Bay's Centennial. Naturally, the competition, judged by some of the finest local artists, would be anonymous! Strange to tell, but the winning design was submitted by a Dow Chemical Engineer who was on an extended holiday in Oak Bay. He was from Dearborn, Michigan. It just goes to show that art is universal – we should all try our hand!
This article is from Tweed magazine.
