The Old Wickaninnish Inn 1977

12 x 16 acrylic on rough wood panel

This painting was a gift to my parents, returned to me after my father died and my mother subsequently sold the family home. I painted it in 1977, while sitting on the edge of the now-long-gone parking lot beside the old Wickaninnish Inn; the Inn was redeveloped shortly after into a national park interpretive centre, which is now called the Kwisitis Centre. On the day of this painting, I’d left my toddler sons with a friend so that, for the first time, I could join a small group of plein air painters. It was the first time I'd painted outdoors and, if I recall correctly, only my second acrylic painting. At the time, my focus was on raising my children and any plan to take up painting was still a future dream.