At the beginning of August, I crossed the border and attended the first Seattle art walk in 18 months – the renewed tradition of “First Thursday”. It was a real celebration! Over 350 people came through Gallery 110 in Pioneer Square. Vaccinated, all wearing masks, people were, for that evening at least, without fear. They looked at the art with an intensity that I had never seen – ‘drinking’ it in like hikers after a desert journey consume water – thirstily, sloppily, letting the images splash over them, bringing relief and joy.

It is with similar exhilaration that I am offering this re-examination of the BC coastal landscape. Ships, Mountains & the Sea V will be the first of three planned exhibitions reexploring old themes – the cranes, the ships and the mountains of the Burrard Inlet and Vancouver Harbor – the colors, forms and juxtapositions of which I have never ceased to find wildly inspiring.

SHIPS, MOUNTAINS & THE SEA V
Visual Space Gallery
3352 Dunbar Street (between 17th & 18th on the east side of Dunbar)
September 23 – October 6, 2021
Noon – 5PM daily; extended hours to 8PM Tuesdays & Fridays

With this show I revisit old themes:
• sunsets on the beach at Tofino
• angry winter waves off Ucluelet
• shards of color – kites glimpsed through the old growth forest by Lake Nitinaht
• dawn light behind the coastal mountains as seen from Rebecca Spit (Quadra Island)
• ships of all sizes and shapes and stages of decay in the Burrard Inlet – with mountains, seaplanes, beach volleyball courts, logs in formation on Spanish Banks, kite and windsurfers and the ever-changing light.

All the works in the upcoming show are now posted on my website. Some works from my 2007 exhibition Ships, Mountains & the Sea IV will be hung as contrast. The Georgia Straight published a notice about the upcoming exhibition.

YVR Airport
Three works “in the show” will not be on the walls – they are hanging in YVR airport on loan for 18 months. I was commissioned to paint Views from the 11th Floor Condo. A building had come down, restoring a beloved view westward from the clients’ condo. An even bigger building was scheduled to go up in its place. In the interval, I was invited to paint the views that, soon again, would disappear. When you pass through YVR look for the original paintings – they move around every six months.

First Thursday follow-up – Border issue(s)
First Thursday at Gallery 110 in Seattle was exciting. What followed was not such fun, although it could have been worse. I had crossed the border Thursday morning fully vaccinated with a negative PCR Covid test from two days earlier done in Canada. Returning that evening I was turned away by Canada. I was told “that the law said” I needed a negative Covid PCR test done in the USA: impossible, as I had left Canada less that 12 hours earlier. I had to return to Bellingham and, after a night in my car, I paid to see a physician (chief complaint: “homesickness”). With a STAT requisition I got a test result that day (negative, of course). Back across the border, I was immediately tested again! Crazy!

Left eye is better
Thank you, thank you all who wrote and called me; I was greatly moved by your concern. The gas bubble that held everything in place after the retinal detachment surgery has now dissipated. Vision in my left eye is at least as good as my right. My retinal surgeon is happy, as am I.

However, I accept that I have taken several steps down the long, unsteady staircase to ultimate darkness. I am resolved to work harder: painting with increased courage, loving Lyne, family, and friends more fully, and thanking the gods more enthusiastically for all my good fortune.

Coming to the show
Meanwhile, I hope we can visit together soon! Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 (Delta) there is no reception for my show. We are observing all public health guidelines and asking you to bring masks to wear.

I will have two HEPA air purifiers operating on the “TURBO” setting. To schedule a visit please RSVP to haughton-art@shaw.ca or call 604 525 2412.

And if you live far away, join me virtually! I plan to post on Instagram a series of short videos focusing both on the process of exhibiting and on specific works.

With great affection and respect, David