The Sun Princess by North Vancouver artist Keith Campbell. This painting was commissioned in 1994 by the father of the current proprietor of the Peg General Store on Commercial Drive. The Peg shopkeeper reminisced how his father used to live at International Plaza in North Vancouver with a great view of the Lions Gate Bridge. When he moved up to Lynn Valley, he missed seeing the ships coming in and out of the Burrard Inlet, so he commissioned this painting! I cannot find any biographical information about Keith Campbell, but perhaps this is him? Any additional comments would be appreciated!
This is a particularly nostalgic view, depicting the ship known as the Sun Princess circa 1974-1988. Originally built as the Spirit of London wikipedia tells us it was an Italian built cruise ship put into service in 1972. More lore from wikipedia:
The ship appeared in the 1975 Columbo episode “Troubled Waters”, guest starring Robert Vaughn, as well as in Herbie Goes Bananas (1980). She was also featured in at least one episode of The Love Boat involving a competition between Captain Stubing of the Pacific Princess and the captain of the Sun Princess.
The current ship named the Sun Princess also built in Italy had her maiden voyage on December 2, 1995. Thanks to the Peg General Store for this great nautical gem! ps: the painting is available for sale!
The Lions Gate Bridge, with Stanley Park to the right, seen from the North Shore. This painting by Lyttle is dated 1980; I am unable to determine who this might have been, so any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Coast Mountain Bus Company employees bid farewell to Oakridge Transit Centre, August 2006, a specially commissioned card by illustrator Barb Wood, who has been frequently featured here, and who has frequently included public transit in her artwork.
I got a behind the scenes tour of the Oakridge garage on one of the Trams excursions back in 2008, on the last ride of the E901/902 Flyers. Photos here.
Card courtesy of an insider at Translink. Thanks, eh!
Vancouver Magazine from October, 1997 illustrated by Ken Steacy. This was Ken’s first collaboration with Douglas Coupland, and was the foldout centrespread from the magazine that Doug guest edited titled “The Bridge That Keeps On Going”.
Lions Gateway to Vancouver, a vintage advertising decal from CKLG, on ebay.
Perhaps my favourite school yearbook ever, the 1940-41 Lord Selkirk Annual, artfully decorated with woodcuts throughout. Inside, this woodcut of the pacific coast by Jean Ortlieb was achieved when she was just age 14. Thanks again to Neil Whaley for sharing this with me!
The New Westminster parkade, with the Pattullo Bridge in the background, painted by Gordon Kit Thorne on February 17, 1959. The Westminster Pier Park offers a much improved vantage point from a similar angle. For those who have seen the movie Shooter, the FBI were shooting at Mark Wahlberg from the west side of the same parkade just before he backs his car into the Fraser River. I was working behind the scenes for this film shoot. More about the history of the parkade from the newwestnewsleader.com:
The parkade’s origins date back to Oct. 25, 1954 when the Downtown merchants met with the city to create off-street parking facilities similar to that being done in Vancouver, according to research done by historians Archie and Dale Miller.
The merchants were fearful hordes of consumers would head to a new phenomena—shopping malls—instead. The estimated cost was $500,000 and it was to be financed by a special tax on property owners in the area.
They eventually decided to build it over Front Street and it was opened Feb. 25, 1959. It was billed as the first over-the-street parking ramp in North America. An addition on the east end was completed in 1966.
The painting recently sold for $62 on ebay after a heated series of bids.
The Port of Vancouver, a painting by North Vancouver artist Ken Foster for the cover of BC Motorist Magazine, September / October 1963. This is not the same Ken Foster you may have encountered on the streets of Vancouver today. Unfortunately, I haven’t found much more info about the Ken Foster of the 1960s, so I will have to keep digging.
Fireworks Over English Bay, another tile mosaic by Bruce Walther. This particular mosaic at Pacific and Burrard was created in 2008 and was a Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association initiative, with funding assistance provided by the 2010 Cultural Olympiad. From the DVBIA pamphlet:
The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association’s public art project beautifies downtown streets with 18 original tile mosaics, each measuring nine square feet and permanently installed in city sidewalks throughout the DVBIA’s 90-block area. The mosaics celebrate the diversity of Vancouver’s culture, sports, architecture, natural beauty and personalities. Accomplished local mosaic artists Liz Calvin and Bruce Walther designed, produced and installed all the tiles.
Mural of the Vancouver skyline painted in 1993 by (correction) Carol Davenport, seen above the lobby of Fifth Avenue Cinemas, 2110 Burrard Street, Vancouver. How many of my followers did NOT realize the concession stand IS the BURRARD BRIDGE!
From Granville Island, a canvas by artist Jack Campbell. From his website:
For fourteen years Jack taught drawing and painting workshops for the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design Outreach Program and for eight years taught full time at the Kootenay School of Art in Nelson. He continues to teach at various summer schools and art organizations through the province. Raised in New Westminster B.C., Jack has been a painter and graphic designer since graduating as an honor student from the Fourth Year Program of the Vancouver School of Art (Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design).
Jack has had over 30 one man exhibitions in British Columbia of his drawings, paintings and paper sculptures. He also has participated in many group shows in Western Canada and Washington. His work is in private and corporate collections throughout North America and Europe.
A Bright and Shiny Future by Ewan McNeil, 60” X 20” acrylic on panel, 2009. Illustrating the North Arm Bridge of the Canada Line under construction over the Fraser River to Richmond. From the Journal of Commerce online:
This will be the first Extradosed bridge (a combination of balanced cantilevered and cable stay bridges) in North America. That’s engineer talk for a bridge that has to be high/wide enough for river traffic to pass under it, and low enough to provide clearance for the planes landing at YVR. The technical terms refer to the design and how it is built. First the columns are built, then sections are attached on one side of the column then the other so they’re balanced. Once the sections extend out far enough, a series of cables from the towers are attached to the bridge deck.
For an additional $10 million dollars and thanks to a BikeBC cycling infrastructure partnership, a bicycle pedestrian bridge was attached to the bridge, which seems to have been somewhat of an afterthought. It is, however, a most awesome afterthought!
Thanks for the submission, Ewan!
Sapperton sidewalk mosaic by Bruce Walther, 2011, featuring the Pattullo Bridge. You can see this mural at the corner of East Columbia Street and Cedar Street in New Westminster. If you look all the way down Columbia, you can see the Pattullo Bridge in the distance. This mosaic is part of a series of four murals by Bruce Walther and Ann Wilson that were installed a little over a year ago. From the New West Leader:
The installation of art in New Westminster began with the appointment of Greg Magirescu to city manager of arts and cultural development in April 2010. Since then, numerous artworks have appeared throughout the city, including award-winning mosaics on 12th Street also crafted by Walther.
Hobbis said the new mosaics took a community effort. Magirescu contacted local curator Trudy Van Dop, who helped organize members for the mosaic steering committee. When the committee had a booth at the Sapperton Days Street Festival last year, New West resident Curt Higham, who ownes Ames Tile and Stone, donated specially-imported Portuguese tiles for the cause.
