Update! Most recent paintings have been added to my online store! Please visit https://artbydi.ca/artwork/ to view all items and learn more about the stories behind each piece.
A Moment on the River
The rivers of British Columbia are a fluid backbone in the network of waterways that connect the Pacific Ocean with countless mountains, forests, lakes and streams across the province. The longest and only major river entirely within BC is the mighty Fraser (also known as Sto:lo, Lhtakoh, and ʔElhdaqox). At over 1,375 kilometres long it is the 4th largest river in Canada and flows from near Blackrock Mountain in the Rockies to the Salish Sea just south of Vancouver. It drains an area of approximately 220,000 square kilometres, discharges 112 cubic kilometres of water per year and moves over 20 million tons of sediment during that time.
Dawn on the Coast
There are few mountains so iconic to the west coast as the great Mt. Baker. Located in Washington State, Mt. Baker (also known as Koma Kulshan) stands at an impressive 3286 m high. It is an active stratovolcano; and even though the most recent major eruption that produced new lava was 6,700 years ago, activity at Mt. Baker has included numerous small debris avalanches in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s.
Viewing Mt. Baker from Vancouver Island is a delightful treat especially in the soft pastel pink and blue colors of early morning, when the layers of the San Juan and Southern Gulf islands start to develop in the light.
Brave Little Hunter
On March 23rd 2024 tragedy struck in a small lagoon near the town of Zeballos on the west coast of Vancouver Island. T109A3 “Spong”, a 14-year-old Bigg’s Orca, was hunting harbour seals in Little Espinosa Inlet with her 2 year old daughter T109A3A when she became trapped on a sand bar on her side. Despite desperate rescue attempts Spong drowned when the quickly rising tide submerged her blowhole, her body too heavy to be righted by rescuers, and it was later realized that she was pregnant with an unborn calf.
Spong’s daughter, staying in the shallow waters by her side and calling out for her mother, became trapped in the tidal lagoon. It was here she stayed for 34 days. The shallow lagoon offers little in terms of shelter or food. With a narrow entrance of only 120 feet wide it requires just the right tides to be deep enough to pass, and at that time of the year the tides were very shallow – for only 30 minutes every day the entrance was deep enough for the little orca to swim herself free.
