Every community has its focal points, those special places that everyone knows. They are the places that one remembers when time and distance have moved you far from that particular community. Some communities are fortunate enough to have even more than one such gathering place. As a child I can remember the front of the Post Office in Paris, Ontario. There on the side of the building was a plaque telling of Alexander Graham Bell making the first long distance phone call from Brantford to Paris in the 1800’s. In Peterborough it was the Lift Locks, everyone knew where the Lift Locks were, it was a must visit for any out of town guests. In Tofino, it was Mile “0″ at the Government Wharf. No visit to Tofino was complete without one’s photograph being taken at Mile “0″.
Gibsons is blessed with many such focal points. Whether it be Molly’s Reach for the mandatory photograph, or the bronze statue of George Gibson, we have our special places. Many in the community don’t realize it, but Armours Beach is one such place. It is a true focal point of our community. The locally famous PIGS rugby team has their clubhouse there. The annual Keats to Gibsons swim finishes there. On New Year’s Day the annual Polar Bear Swim takes place there. Over the years there have been Logger Sports events at the beach and on the water. But perhaps most of all, Armours Beach is the starting or finishing point of any sea wall walk of Gibsons Harbour. Yes, Armours Beach is one of those special community places that has earned the right to have people say “I’ll meet you at 4 at Armours!”.
In searching for a painting at Armours I watched for many months to find it. Finally it came to me. Armours is somewhat of a gauge or window for those of us who live here. Not only is it a gathering place, it is a perfect window to the world around us. It changes its mood hourly, and light is the mood altering influence. Exposed to the North Shore Mountains and Bowen and Keats Island, one can see and feel the day to come, or the day past, from Armours. And so it was that I found myself photographing from Armours and using a piling as a standard. Though the stark silhouette of the piling changes little, it provides a comparative standard. The two extremes, sunrise and sunset, are so different. Sunrise in the summer sees the distant shore only a foggy haze with the glare of the day to come a shimmering ribbon on the water’s horizon. The evening, however, uses the mountains as a suncatcher. Detail and colour contrast the abstract mists of the sunrise. Armours is a monitor of the day to come, and the day past.
These two paintings are the first I have ever done to be sold as a pair. There are no prints, they are one of a kind. My guess is that only someone from Gibsons, or someone who has lived here, will truly appreciate what these images speak of. I hope they find a home where they can be hung together, or at least on opposing walls. They are brother and sister, and should not be separated.
