GO CREATE – EASEL COLLECTION

Take it outside: lovely locales to inspire your art

Finnerty Gardens
University of Victoria

Located on the campus of the University of Victoria, Finnerty Gardens features a mix of native and non-native flora and boasts one of Canada’s largest collections of rhododendrons, with over 200 species. The original rhododendron bushes donated to create the garden came from a collection once owned and cultivated by Richard Stoker, brother of author Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula.

Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre Trails
1767 Island Hwy, Colwood

The Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre’s 2.8 kilometers of trails pass through forest, by a golf course, and around baseball diamonds, providing you with options for scenic viewing areas to set up your easel and create. The trail passes behind GVPL’s Juan de Fuca Branch, too, near the highest point on the property, offering a great view of the scene below. Deer, squirrels and birds frolic among the trees, offering glimpses of urban wildlife to stir your imagination.

Ogden Point Breakwater
211 Dallas Rd, Victoria

Jutting into the ocean, the Ogden Point Breakwater offers you the unique perspective of being surrounded by water and marine life with sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains and Greater Victoria’s oceanside communities. Set up an easel on the hundred-year-old breakwater, and take inspiration from dark waves tumbling in, seals playing nearby, and boats, small and large, regally sailing by. Not to be outdone by its natural surroundings, the breakwater is adorned by the work of local First Nations artists Darlene Gait and Bruce Dick and the young artists and they mentor.