Swiftsure Breeze
36" X 60" oil on canvas
original art is sold
Swiftsure Breeze recieved the 2011 Figurative Award of Excellence at the Federation of Canadian Artists Annual International Representational Show (AIRS)....
This is my daughter Sarah. We’ve come wave watching to Ogden Point, on Dallas Road in Victoria, BC. It’s the early summer of 2009. We often visit here in rough weather to observe the extremes.
Dallas Road is the place to go for wind in this area. A blustery day can bring kites, kite boards, kite carts, hang gliders, RC model gliders, para-sailors, windsurfers and sailboats, many trying to ride the turbulent air near the cliffs. The prevailing winds tend to blow from the southwest, from Race Rocks, a tiny island on the horizon that’s visible only on a very clear day.
I also come here to watch the Swiftsure International Yacht Race, which takes place each spring. Sailboats come from all over the Pacific Northwest to test themselves in a number of races, but the Swiftsure is the crowd favourite. I suppose my interest comes from my late father, a marine artist, who could be found here at both the start and finish of each race – often with a younger me on his heels. If the winds were typical, as in this painting, the end of the race would be a spinnaker finish. The drama of those colourful sails racing for the line was the stuff of many a painting.
I’ve made the trip up the west coast of Vancouver Island twice by sail, toward Swiftsure Bank, and am planning a third in just a few weeks. Rounding Race Rocks on the outbound leg and facing uphill, into the prevailing wind, is a bit like skiing up a mountain. You need your motion-sickness pills and jacklines close at hand.
Sarah loves to stand in the strong winds and feel the push and strength of nature when it’s raging. Perhaps someday she’ll follow her dad and take to sailing. For now though, it’s thrill enough to feel that Swiftsure breeze and watch the rolling ocean from the safety of shore. Mark Heine
36" X 60" oil on canvas
original art is sold
Swiftsure Breeze recieved the 2011 Figurative Award of Excellence at the Federation of Canadian Artists Annual International Representational Show (AIRS)....
This is my daughter Sarah. We’ve come wave watching to Ogden Point, on Dallas Road in Victoria, BC. It’s the early summer of 2009. We often visit here in rough weather to observe the extremes.
Dallas Road is the place to go for wind in this area. A blustery day can bring kites, kite boards, kite carts, hang gliders, RC model gliders, para-sailors, windsurfers and sailboats, many trying to ride the turbulent air near the cliffs. The prevailing winds tend to blow from the southwest, from Race Rocks, a tiny island on the horizon that’s visible only on a very clear day.
I also come here to watch the Swiftsure International Yacht Race, which takes place each spring. Sailboats come from all over the Pacific Northwest to test themselves in a number of races, but the Swiftsure is the crowd favourite. I suppose my interest comes from my late father, a marine artist, who could be found here at both the start and finish of each race – often with a younger me on his heels. If the winds were typical, as in this painting, the end of the race would be a spinnaker finish. The drama of those colourful sails racing for the line was the stuff of many a painting.
I’ve made the trip up the west coast of Vancouver Island twice by sail, toward Swiftsure Bank, and am planning a third in just a few weeks. Rounding Race Rocks on the outbound leg and facing uphill, into the prevailing wind, is a bit like skiing up a mountain. You need your motion-sickness pills and jacklines close at hand.
Sarah loves to stand in the strong winds and feel the push and strength of nature when it’s raging. Perhaps someday she’ll follow her dad and take to sailing. For now though, it’s thrill enough to feel that Swiftsure breeze and watch the rolling ocean from the safety of shore. Mark Heine
