Vancouver’s harbour on an early fall morning. The lucky recipient of this painting has a birthday right around Valentine’s Day and this scene, commissioned by her husband, captures the memory of a certain September morn when they got married on a cruise ship destined for Hawaii.

The day is bright. Trees in Stanley Park are just turning colorful shades of gold. The Royal Caribbean ship heading out has clear sailing ahead. The horizon is rosy and misty, much like the future looks when you’re not there yet. The clouds have a few random heart and ring shapes while the Lion’s Gate Bridge looks like two figures dancing together.

Bridges are metaphors for connection and journeys. They are also symbols of patience: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Bridges mark points of union and transition: from one side to another and back again.

Two specific requests for this painting were to include Harbour Centre, where, according to the husband, “we really enjoyed going in our earlier years,” as well as the husband’s work site, which is directly across the way on the industrial site where the red ship is loading. He joked, “This will definitely remind my wife of me!”

It’s also a nice dynamic because one side – Harbour Centre and the five sails – represents play, while the other side represents (literally) work. Meanwhile, the ship where the happy union takes place goes right between, from the fun part of the harbour, past the work, and through the dancing Lion’s Gate Bridge. After all, life is best when there’s a balance of work and play with time together at the center.

Acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 48″
Located at: Private Collection