Vancouver

As you can tell, I love my hometown of Vancouver. I portray the sense you have when moving through it. Certain landmarks hang in your head and then you pass another point of interest. Running or walking or cycling makes everything seem closer together and brighter. Please note that if the image title has a " •" after it, it has been sold.

  • East Van Face Off•

    The way the East Van Cross faces off against the financial centre of Vancouver is perfectly defiant

  • Wreck Beach Staircase

    Wreck Beach•

    Wreck Beach is an odd name for a clothing optional beach but no doubt makes for enthusiastic slogans.

  • Mount Pleasant's Main and Kingsway intersection.

    Mount Pleasant•

    The dividing point between East Van and the West Side.

  • Cypress Mountain West Vancouver

    Cypress•

    Snow Day. If only transit were this peaceful.

  • The Right Side of the Tracks painting

    The Right Side of the Tracks

    East Van view down the rail corridor towards the Militant Mothers of Raymur Pedestrian Bridge.

  • Kitsilano Beach Spring

    Kitsilano Beach Spring•

    Beach, blooms, boats, bliss.

  • East Van Tracks

    East Van Tracks•

    Railway tracks and East Van night lights. 

  • Vancouver Standard

    Vancouver Standard•

    Vancouver as it usually looks: overcast, mountains, industry, water, trees.

  • 7 pm•

    Vancouver archetypes coming together for the 7pm cheer.

  • The Heights•

    Cioffi’s and the Heights sign, painted when nights on the street seemed a little darker than usual.

  • East Van Xmas

    East Van Christmas•

    Lights, snow, and East Van magic.

  • Britannia East Van Van

    East Van Van•

    Learning is the best trip you can take.

  • Gastown•

    Vintage industrial crossed with steampunk tourism.

  • Yaletown Summer

    Yaletown Summer•

    Hot town, summer in the city.

  • Blossoms•

    Springtime burst of pink confetti petals.

  • Vancouver East II•

    Like flying over Never Never Land at dusk.

  • Olympic Village•

    Very green. Very dense.

  • Murder in East Van

    Murder in East Van•

    Icons of East Van: a Vancouver Special, the East Van cross, and exactly 13 crows flying overhead.

  • The Valley of East Hastings•

    A rapidly gentrifying commuter corridor.

  • Magic Hour II•

    That brief period when everything glows.

  • Cambie Crown II•

    I painted a similar scene a few years ago. There are sure a lot more buildings.

  • The Rio•

    The iconic Rio Theatre on Broadway and Commercial is one of Vancouver's most beloved multimedia venues.

  • Vancouver Synecdoches•

    A synecdoche is a part that represents the whole. This is a rainbow of east and west side Vancouver landmarks.

  • Terminal City•

    Vancouver is a city of beginnings and endings. But, oh, the sunsets.

  • Inversion•

    Inversions are an atmospheric metaphor.

  • Playland

    Playland in the off season feels more gothic than giddy.

  • East Van Cross (Colourful Life)•

    Nighttime, the East Van Cross, and graffiti symbols that hint at a colorful life.

  • Kits Beach Summertime Afternoon•

    Kits Beach is the perfect tranquility base.

  • DTES III•

    A truncated view of Hastings Street at night under a full moon.

  • Christmas Lights•

    There's a special confluence of festivity when Vancouver gets snow in December.

  • Vanorama Sunset II•

    Autumn and winter are the best times of year to see spectacular sunsets in Vancouver.

  • Coal Harbour Sunset•

    At sunset, the world is simultaneously calm and vibrant.

  • English Bay•

    This English Bay scene contains pertinent symbols: hearts, a tiara, and a "Y" pathway to denote "Yes".

  • DTES•

    This is a truncated view of Hastings Street featuring the most beloved signs.

  • Bait Station•

    Bait stations remind us that unwanted and unseen living creatures exist.

  • Food Chain•

    Being the greenest city in the world by 2020 means there's a big program in place to change our behaviour.

  • Mirage•

    Industrial structures look gentle and unthreatening in the soft early morning fog.

  • Piles•

    Piles is a colloquial term for hemorrhoids. And sulphur used to be called brimstone.

  • Feeding Frenzy•

    Siwash Rock looks like a small child tree who wants to wander off into the dangerous unknown.

  • Great White•

    "Great White" brings three concepts to mind: Great White North, Great White Hope, and Great White Shark.

  • 4/21 Morning, Unleashed•

    The 4/20 celebration in Vancouver is comparable to the Fireworks Festival except with fewer liquor containers and more food wrappers.

  • The Grind•

    Escape is often an uphill struggle, whether cultivated or naturally grown.

  • Inukshuk•

    Vancouver's 2010 Olympics logo was intended as a world welcome. Locally, it's more of a pretty insignia for beach volleyball.

  • East Van X

    The East Van Cross is an emblem of light which is both a threat and a beacon.

  • Crowsline

    Crows represent our dark and feisty domestic urban lives.

  • Birds of Prey•

    Predators live on the surplus of others except Vancouver housing doesn't have any surplus.

  • Density•

    Density is a contentious topic in Vancouver.

  • Welcome to the Jungle•

    The bridge lions face traffic going into north Van. They are a subtle North Shore defense mechanism.

  • Bifurcation

    The shoes-over-wires thing is a literal environmental footprint.

  • FTW

    “FTW” means “For The Win!” to one generation but it is is a punk epithet to an older one.

  • Mono No Aware•

    In practice, “Mono No Aware” means appreciate what you have because it never lasts.

  • The National Dream•

    In the 1880s, Canada's National Dream was unity.

  • Save the Trees (Not the Wood)•

    The orange fences of doom signify that this old wood house will be demolished to make way for larger plywood one.

  • Pork House

    Pork Bellies are a commodity. Housing isn’t.

  • River District Circus

    The River District is an ex-industrial site on built on reclaimed swampland. It is marketed as the next Yaletown.

  • STEM Cell•

    Stem cells are blank cells that can become any cell. STEM is also an acronym for "science, technology, engineering, and math."

  • VPL•

    Places where people read and learn are full brightness.

  • The Sky’s the Limit•

    Until recently, Vancouver's real estate market was a somewhat laissez-faire system with houses flipping faster than fingers at a Main Street cyclist.

  • Drive-In Theatre•

    Oil tankers and sunsets: there is nothing more symbolic of End of Days.

  • Vancouver Primavera•

    People go nuts when the cherry blossoms come out in Vancouver.

  • Vanorama Sunset•

    Autumn and winter are the best times of year to see spectacular sunsets in Vancouver.

  • East Van Commercial Drive•

    The many symbols of East Van.

  • Lion’s Gate Night Out III•

    The essence of this scene is the anticipation of a night out: sequins, sparklers, lit pathways, and dancing stars.

  • Dundarave View•

    View from West Vancouver on a breezy late summer day. You can see all the way to Washington state.

  • East Van Panorama – Winter•

    Winter version of my East Vancouver icon panorama scene.

  • Indian Arm•

    A little study of Indian Arm for the 2015 Anonymous Art Show in North Vancouver.

  • Ironworker’s Bridge•

    The Ironworker's Bridge set against the Lions Mountains.

  • The York on Commercial

    York on Commercial•

    The York is a success story for everyone who despairs at all the disappearing cultural centers in Vancouver.

  • Van Gogh ‘Couver•

    The way sunflowers turn their faces to follow the sun reminds me of Vancouver.

  • Vancouver East•

    Panoramic view of Vancouver's Downtown East Side. Some elements have been exaggerated.

  • Main Street Country•

    Main Street, Vancouver, runs down the center of Mount Pleasant, and is often referred to as "Hipster Central."

  • East Van Alley•

    Vancouver alleys, whether they are urban gritty or backyard overgrown, are lovely in their roughshod untidiness.

  • September Morning•

    Vancouver's harbour on an early fall morning.

  • Dissedtopia•

    This is Hansel and Gretel at Hastings and Main looking westward at apocalyptic destruction.

  • East Van Puppy Love•

    The East Van cross is the most significant symbol of East Van, but you can't be in East Van and not think of crows, graffiti, and concrete.

  • Heart of Coal Harbour•

    Coal Harbour is a busy place, especially for boats and bikes and planes and pedestrians.

  • Bright Sea, Bold City•

    Burrard Inlet with turbulent rainbow waters.

  • Cinderella’s Alley – Drop 1•

    Theatrical backdrop design of the alley where Cinderella and her vermin friends hang out.

  • Cinderella’s House – Drop 2•

    Theatrical backdrop design to show the interior and exterior of Cinderella's Fraser Street heritage house.

  • Grump Tower – Drop 3•

    Theatrical backdrop design depicting a property mogul's office view of Vancouver.

  • Magic Hour•

    Magic hour is when the sun sets or before it rises. The reddish, indirect light makes everything seem more vibrant.

  • Walking Distance•

    These are scultural painted shoes based on a Fluevog boot. The left shoe show East Van, the right shoe shows the west side.

  • Crayola Cranes•

    The bright cranes are a necessary hit of color on many a dreary rainy Vancouver day.

  • Raincouver Dawn•

    The saturation of rain in Vancouver combined with certain lighting effects often gives the city a Monet-like aura.

  • The Whip•

    The Whip Restaurant & Gallery is located just off Main Street on 6th.

  • East Van Monolith•

    This perspective of the East Van cross makes it look towering and monolithic.

  • Cambie Crown•

    An iconic Vancouver view.

  • East Van Panorama II•

    The view is a collage of many landmarks that East Vancouver residents know and love.

  • Groundwork•

    We all start somewhere.

  • Lion’s Gate Night Panorama•

    Lion's Gate bridge bracketing downtown Vancouver at night.

  • East Van Panorama – Drop 1•

    Theatrical backdrop design the East Van Panto. All the symbols of East Van.

  • Jack’s House – Drop 2•

    Theatrical backdrop design for "Jack and the Beanstalk" East Van Panto. This is Jack's House.

  • Giant’s Sky Condo – Drop 3•

    Theatrical backdrop design for "Jack and the Beanstalk" East Van Panto. Giant's sky condo.

  • First and Commercial•

    "The Drive" is Vancouver's first ethnic neighbourhood.

  • The Grind•

    The Grind is a 3 km trail up Grouse Mountain. 3 km may not seem long but the incline makes it feel a lot longer.

  • Misty Mountain Cranes•

    Morning fog is magical: mountains become an opalescent mirage while the cranes become primordial pack animals.

  • Piles•

    A little juxtaposition of some of Vancouver's primary colors: blue mountains and water, red oil tankers, and yellow sulfur piles.

  • East Van Migration•

    The nightly crow migration is an awesome sight in East Van.

  • Playland

    Playland painted all crowded and bright and dizzy, which is how you experience it as a kid.

  • Ambleside View•

    Ambleside has one of the nicest views of Vancouver and the Lion's Gate bridge.

  • 885 West Georgia Street•

    The HSBC Canada "pendulum building" is well-known office tower in Vancouver.

  • Eastside Market

    Eastside Market was a cheerful place with tons of flowers. Closed, alas. Probably will become condos.

  • The Ridge•

    The Ridge Theatre was a long-standing Vancouver landmark.

  • The Waldorf•

    The Waldorf at twilight, with warm inner lights. Adios, Waldorf.

  • A Day When the Sun Surprised Us All•

    Vancouver spring scene on one of those days when the sun surprises us all.

  • Night Out Across Lion’s Gate•

    Cities built near water get double the nighttime sparkle because of the reflection effect.

  • Autumn Rush•

    Every September, there's a sense that everything starts and dies all at once.

  • Granville Island IV•

    This classic Vancouver scene is what you see when you cross the Granville Street bridge.

  • Vancouver Heights Morning•

    Some early mornings make Vancouver seem like the most magical place on earth.

  • Capilano•

    Some people describe crossing the Capilano suspension bridge as "walking on air."

  • It Will Be A Good Day•

    One of those rare clear and calm mornings in Vancouver: it will be a good day.

  • Only Connect•

    This painting shows the Granville and Burrard Bridges framed by Granville Island and downtown Vancouver.

  • Sea Village•

    Colorful houseboat community on the north side of Granville Island.

  • Vanorama Autumn•

    Autumn sunsets are closer to the horizon and seem to bathe everything in gold.

  • FTW

    Red represents vitality, passion, and love, as well as rage, sin, and debt.

  • Color of Industry II•

    Orange represents citrus, zest, endurance, and embers. It doesn't have a negative association.

  • Brimstone

    Yellow symbolizes sunshine, warmth, summer, and happiness. It also means fear, caution, and toxicity.

  • Lion’s Gate

    Green is associated with growth, newness, and nature. It is also associated with envy, greed, money, and nausea.

  • Coronation

    Blue means loyalty, masculinity, tranquillity, and favoured status. Blue is also the color of cold and sadness and death.

  • Pluteus

    Purple stands for eccentricity, ceremony, mystery as well as mourning, transformation, and bruising.

  • In The Pink•

    Pink has several meanings. In Vancouver, the pink cherry trees make even the grittiest urban environments look bridal-pretty.

  • Capitol Hill Dawn•

    This painting shows a late-spring morning when Burrard Inlet is calm and the commuters haven’t started bustling yet.

  • Heritage Hall•

    Heritage Hall is located at Main and 15th in Vancouver.

  • The Lee Building•

    The Lee Building is a well-known building located at Main and Broadway in Vancouver.

  • Vanorama Enorma•

    Quintessential Vancouver: Oz-like green radiant city at sunset against the jagged mountain backdrop.

  • Burrard Inlet•

    An aerial view full of all the symbols of Vancouver.

  • Ivanhoe Night•

    The Ivanhoe is a backpacker's hostel so I gave it an easy sag to the walls, like a comfortable mattress.

  • Sun Tower•

    The Sun Tower is a standard fixture in Vancouver's historic downtown.

  • Dominion Building•

    The Dominion Building was Vancouver’s first steel-framed high-rise.

  • Skycranes•

    The ubiquitous harbour cranes are like dinosaurs flexing across the sky. They make the landscape seem prehistoric.

  • Vanorama I•

    Vancouver is one of those cities that becomes like Oz when you see the setting sun reflecting off the buildings.

  • Color of Industry•

    The cranes are the most lifelike elements in this painting. Cranes are a motif for hard work and manual labour.

  • Vancouver Sunrise•

    Vancouver is full of endless damp grey days so when you get a break in the weather, the city seems extra bright.

  • Port of Vancouver•

    Harbour Center view with brontosaurus cranes.

  • The Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral•

    The Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral is located a block west of Main on 10th Avenue.

  • East Van Cross•

    Ken Lum's light statue, Monument for East Vancouver, is installed at East 6th Avenue and Clark Drive,

  • City Centre Motel•

    The City Centre Motel was often used for filming Da Vinci’s Inquest, a Vancouver-filmed TV show about a coroner.

  • Wallflower on Main•

    Eat, Read, Play: this slice of Main Street shows The Wallflower Modern Diner, Pulp Fiction Books, and Guys and Dolls Billiards.

  • The Cobalt•

    The Cobalt Motor Hotel was built a century ago as working men’s housing. It was also a pretty awesome punk music venue for a while.

  • Burrard Sunset•

    There are days when Vancouver is not all gray: some days, like late summer, it can be perfectly golden.

  • Yaletown•

    There are certain traits all Yaletown locals share.

  • Carnegie Centre Morning•

    Carnegie Centre with a slightly-askew toque and two front columns bent like hands cupping a flame.

  • Joe’s on Commercial

    Joe's Café Bar is an unpretentious coffee-sandwich-bar place on "the Drive."

  • Capitol Hill•

    This is the view looking west from Capitol Hill in Burnaby.

  • The Beaumont•

    This is my studio building at 316 W. 5th Avenue, where I work. Or try to, most of the time!

  • Kits Point•

    This is a bright rendition of the Kits Point “dog beach” where dogs can swim and frolic.

  • The Yale•

    Some of the most famous names in R&B have played here.

  • The Ivanhoe (Daytime)•

    I always felt at home at the Ivanhoe.

  • Coal Harbour from Hallelujah Point•

    This restless scene is characteristic of Vancouver itself. It’s an active city.

  • City Hall•

    City Hall with festive fall trees and collapsed wedding-cake architecture.

  • Steveston•

    Charthouse Restaurant on the wharf at Steveston Village in Richmond. Seafood doesn't get any fresher than here.

  • Downtown Granville•

    This is looking north down Granville Street at Nelson.

  • Coal Harbour Panorama•

    View from the top of the Pan Pacific, overlooking Coal Harbour, Stanley Park, and the North Shore.

  • Alexander and Main•

    Alexander and Main is near the docks in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown East Side.

  • VAG

    The Vancouver Art Gallery was originally a courthouse and often plays one for various film crews.

  • Planetarium•

    This is the view from the Burrard Bridge looking out at the Pacific ocean and down on Vanier Park.

  • Granville Island II•

    Granville Island is colorful against the buildings of downtown Vancouver.

  • Vancouver Core II (STOLEN!)

    Vancouver's dancing core. This painting was stolen October 31, 2010 from the Beaumont Gallery.

  • Sinclair Center•

    Heritage building and passport office.

  • Capilano Suspension Bridge•

    The Capilano Suspension Bridge is like walking through the forest on stilts.

  • Brockton Point•

    The iconic Brockton Point lighthouse is like an exclamation mark on the seawall.

  • Grouse Mountain Gondola•

    I have never failed to get dizzy on this ride. That is why it is probably painted a little more swirly than usual.

  • Lion’s Gate Bridge•

    The gateway to the North Shore and a daily commute – and sometimes frustration – for many.

  • Next Five Exits•

    Ironworker’s Memorial Bridge, AKA Second Narrows. All roads lead to North Van.

  • Seabus•

    The seabus is a daily commute for many. It's a relaxing way to get downtown.

  • NSCU Parkgate•

    North Shore Credit Union's Parkgate Branch on opening day. It's called "Blueshore" now.

  • Deep Cove Marina•

    If you live in Deep Cove, it is almost a requirement to own a boat.

  • Deep Cove•

    One of North Vancouver’s most idyllic spots.

  • Edgemont Village•

    Cute, eclectic Edgemont Village is a city of sidewalks and color.

  • The Lions•

    The Lions are also known as “The Twin Sisters”.

  • The Lions in Summer and Winter•

    These are two tall vertical views of the Lions over Capilano Lake in the summer and the winter.

  • Lion’s Gate East•

    The view of Lion’s Gate from Ambleside with Vancouver in the background.

  • Lion’s Gate West•

    View of Lion’s Gate looking west. This is the path the cruise ships take out to Alaska.

  • Parkgate Library•

    Parkgate Library at dusk with the lights on.

  • Tomahawk Restaurant•

    The Tomahawk Restaurant in North Van is like going back in time. I hope they never change it.

  • Lonsdale Quay•

    The seabus terminal at Lonsdale Quay.

  • Heroin Alley•

    The dramatic lighting and the red bricks against the greenbelt of Victory Square give this scene a sense of salvation.

  • Science World•

    Science World is a favorite school field trip. There's a lot of jumpy movement in the painting, kind of like hyped-up kids on sugar.

  • Vancouver Rowing Club•

    This is the Rowing Club in as it appeared in the 1980's, when neon was a perfectly acceptable clothing colour.

  • Sulfur Piles•

    A quintessential Vancouver scene on one of those perfect late-afternoon winter days.

  • Kitsilano Neighborhood II•

    This is a street in Kits dressed up like a cheerful Saturday Morning cartoon.

  • Vancouver Core •

    This is the Lonsdale Quay/Seabus View of Vancouver.

  • Lion’s Gate Bridge (Ambleside)•

    Vancouver in the background of Ambleside park.

  • Granville Island Morning•

    This is Granville Island on a bright fall morning against a backdrop of tall and willowy downtown buildings.

  • Granville Island 21•

    Edge of Granville Island as seen when walking across the Granville Street Bridge.

  • False Creek•

    Island Park walk in False Creek.