It’s a dramatic place, that seaside walk at Bonniebrook overlooking the Salish Sea. People from Gibsons and the south Sunshine Coast come there daily no matter the weather. The road above the beach of about 2 kilometers becomes the personal training gym for young and old. Bonniebrook is a perfect place to walk, listen to music, sit and read or meet friends to have an evening fire and cook some wieners.
The very best time at Bonniebrook is when the sun is setting. The sun lights up the trees on that shoreline like no other place I know. Setting over Vancouver Island the last warm rays of sunlight make Bonniebrook a place of fiery reds, oranges and toasty browns. It lasts only a few minutes but it’s a time of magical, tactile awe for anyone lucky enough to be there at that particular moment. I always turn my attention away from the setting sun and the glowing sky. I’ve found the magic in the glowing sunset trees of Bonniebrook.
On this evening though the magic was on the other side of the trees. On this particular evening I was viewing the sunset from Bonniebrook Park; I was on the dark, shadow side of the trees. Just before the sun dipped behind the distant mountains those silhouette trees became an animated framework for the proud show of the vibrant sky. It was a dramatic place to be for those few minutes and happily I had my camera with me. The image recorded, I was immediately committed to the painting that would be.
I usually paint on very heavy rag paper but this image had to be done on canvas. I don’t often paint on canvas, but this image demanded such. So too the limited edition of giclée prints will all be on canvas. I found that the presentation of the image comes closest to matching the majesty of that evening when done on canvas.
If you can never come to Bonniebrook Beach for a special sunset of your own, I hope you find some small portion of the magic in my painting called “Bonniebrook Sunset”.
