“NATURE IS MAGIC,” says Robert Bateman, one of Canada’s most acclaimed painters. The variety and richness of the natural world is what he absorbs and expresses in his paintings. He lives on Salt Spring Island, and he’s far from the only artist here. In fact, this gulf island, located between Nanaimo and Victoria off the coast of Vancouver Island has the highest percentage of artists in Canada. More than 320 professional artists (those who actually make a living from their art) reside here and this doesn’t include all the passionate hobbyists who also create and perform among the island’s rolling hills, lush forests and shrouded mountains.
Art is a legacy that goes back more than 5000 years with the Coast Salish First Nation inhabitants, who are well recognized for their artistic prowess. In the 1960s, a wave of artists, which included many draft dodgers from the US, flocked here to build a community that focused on the arts.
Artistic pursuits continue to play a central role in the island’s ethos with initiatives like ArtSpring, a venue that hosts more than 300 concerts, performances, workshops and exhibitions per year and the prestigious Salt Spring National Art Prize, which showcases work by Canadian artists. More laidback, artsy pursuits here can also mean listening to live performances at the Tree House Café, touring the island’s many galleries and studios or wandering the stalls at its celebrated Saturday market.
