My biggest source of inspiration – and yet constant challenge to paint – is the ocean. The colors, the shapes, the movement. I am immediately drawn to it and daunted by it. There is nothing I would rather paint, in fact, when ideas are brewing in my mind it is the ocean that wins every time.
I just can’t get away from the hard lines, the solid colors, the way the water refracts and reflects all that is above. It’s tantalizing and satisfying.
Howe Sound
My largest bank of inspiration is drawn in my home of Atl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound. This glacial fjord is home to rough and calm waters at any time of the year. When the Squamish Winds are blowing- we get waves akin to the open Pacific. On a calm and misty winter day the water is so smooth you would think it is glass. This insane variety and complexity to the movement and reflections of water in the sound is what constantly inspires me to paint.
I am eternally grateful to live in these waters, this place that is beyond beautiful. The mountains, the islands, the sea. Right next to the booming metropolis of Vancouver yet worlds away. I will forever make artwork of this place, my lifelong goal an attempt to honor the beauty and importance of these waters, the lifeblood of this land.
- Di
