-Story by Joe Blake Photography by Don Denton
I first met Oak Bay artist Robert Amos more than 40 years ago. He was painting pictures of buildings and sites that were vanishing from the landscape and he told me he was going to be the artist who painted Victoria.
Not long after that, Amos began making pictures of the city香蕉视频直播檚 iconographic images 香蕉视频直播� the Legislative precinct, the Empress Hotel, Chinatown. When he and his wife, artist Sarah Amos, moved to Fairfield to raise their two daughters, Amos began to paint Cook Street Village. Seven years ago, this creative couple moved to Oak Bay and built their current home-studio.
香蕉视频直播淭he late mayor Nils Jensen met me on his bicycle tour one day and said, 香蕉视频直播業 want to make Oak Bay the art capital of the Capital Region香蕉视频直播�,香蕉视频直播� Amos tells me.
We香蕉视频直播檙e in his studio front room, where he stores his notebooks, diaries and sketchbook archives. There are shelves of them 香蕉视频直播� personal chronicles of his career and development as an artist. There are also a handful of his published books, like last year香蕉视频直播檚 critically acclaimed best-seller E.J. Hughes Paints Vancouver Island.
In October, Amos celebrates the publication of his second volume of Hughes香蕉视频直播� biography, and he香蕉视频直播檚 already at work on volume three, the war years.
香蕉视频直播淚 just like the way his paintings look!香蕉视频直播� Amos exclaims, smiling like a Cheshire cat. 香蕉视频直播淚 wrote about him, met him, and got an invitation to spend the day with him.香蕉视频直播�
Amos then shows me a series of commissioned paintings of a house in Oak Bay documenting a half-century of life for the mother and daughter who live there. It香蕉视频直播檚 another current project, in addition to lectures on Hughes and Emily Carr.
香蕉视频直播淎 close look, of what it香蕉视频直播檚 like to paint,香蕉视频直播� Amos says dramatically. 香蕉视频直播淣inety minutes of close observation. We香蕉视频直播檙e going to do some video recording of the lectures, too.香蕉视频直播�
Born in Belleville, Ontario in 1950, Amos spent his school years in Toronto, followed by two years at Queens University taking English literature courses. Amos got a part-time job lifting crates at an art gallery and that香蕉视频直播檚 when he saw his first art show.
香蕉视频直播淗eart of London!香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播淭hat was the title of the show. I thought香蕉视频直播y life could be the subject matter, too 香蕉视频直播� a framed experience, painting. I went to York to study fine art, art history and Japanese art and a professor bought some of my paintings. In my final year, I did nothing but studio work.香蕉视频直播�
Amos landed at Western Front in Vancouver and a waterfront studio on Carrall Street, near Gastown. He hung out with The Pier Group of artists that included Victoria designer J.C. Scott. Performance art, live co-op radio plays, live music, and dreams of going to Japan 香蕉视频直播� Amos lived a bohemian life and continued it when he came to Victoria with fellow artist Andy Graffiti, setting up shop in Chinatown above Fan Tan Alley.
香蕉视频直播淭he place looks amazing!香蕉视频直播� he recalls. 香蕉视频直播淭hat view coming into town over Royal Oak? Beautiful!香蕉视频直播�
Amos got a job at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, where he stayed for five years. He says he saw a lot of Japanese art, Japanese wood block and German expressionism.
香蕉视频直播淭hen I quit and went to Japan for a year of travel in Japan and Thailand,香蕉视频直播� Amos says. 香蕉视频直播淚 studied Japanese. I met Sarah. We got married. We travelled. We were crossing into Malaysia at Langkawi and I had to declare my occupation, that I was an artist. That was a big moment. I am an artist!香蕉视频直播�
Amos is probably Victoria香蕉视频直播檚 most public artist. Besides decades of writing about art in his Times Colonist column and Monday Magazine before that, and producing CBC Radio reports on Victoria香蕉视频直播檚 art scene, Amos is at work in Greater Victoria香蕉视频直播檚 neighbourhoods 香蕉视频直播� literally painting the town.
He香蕉视频直播檚 been artist in residence at The Empress and the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, where he also wrote drafts of his E.J. Hughes book during breaks from two months of summer painting in a sunny room across from the David Foster Theatre.
Amos is also a fixture at the annual Bowker Creek Brush Up and at local schools, since his early collaboration with Barb Adams at Monterey. He香蕉视频直播檚 also a member of Oak Bay香蕉视频直播檚 public art advisory committee.
香蕉视频直播淚 think that香蕉视频直播檚 the only organization I香蕉视频直播檝e ever joined,香蕉视频直播� Amos grimaces. 香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 like meetings!香蕉视频直播�
Every Friday for the last 17 years, Amos has visited Mount St. Mary香蕉视频直播檚 Hospital where he reads to the residents while they paint and draw.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 probably the happiest times of my life,香蕉视频直播� he says, smiling. 香蕉视频直播淚 love painting landscapes, houses and gardens, cars, dogs 香蕉视频直播� anything, but it香蕉视频直播檚 still a struggle to sell a painting. The art business is still a struggle.香蕉视频直播�
But despite that, and after decades of dedication to his craft, Amos has achieved what he set out to do: he香蕉视频直播檚 painted Victoria. And the paintings and drawings of Oak Bay and other neighbourhoods are his lasting legacy.
Visit Robert Amos香蕉视频直播� .
