Member Profile Series ~ Myra Baynton

Member Profile with Myra Baynton

I grew up in Victoria and developed an interest in art during High School. After receiving an undergraduate degree from UVIC I spent many years living and working in Alberta. There I developed an interest in pottery, but parenting, work, and school tended to take most of my time and I put painting ‘on hold’. I completed my graduate degrees (MSW, PhD) at the University of Calgary and worked in a variety of sectors:  educational television, healthcare, human resources, and academia. I retired from the University of Calgary a few years ago. While living and working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I took a drawing course and re-discovered my love of drawing and painting. Travel has been a major interest and source of inspiration, and I always have a sketch book ready to create a visual journal.     After Saudi Arabia, we moved to Cork, Ireland where I continued to work. Since returning to Calgary and then Victoria, I have taken a variety of workshops with local artists to learn and develop new ideas and techniques.  I like to experiment with different subject matter and media and am continually trying new ways to express ideas and concepts either realistically or in an abstract form. I like to sketch and paint urban settings as well as scenes of the West Coast. Although my first love is watercolour, I continue to experiment with acrylic and pastels. Being a member of the Victoria Sketch Club provides a wonderful opportunity to continue to learn.                                                               Next month's Member Profile: Kate Gustin

Member Profile Series ~ Ken McKenzie

 

Member Profile with Ken McKenzie

Some of my earliest recollections are sitting beside my father and watching him paint in pastels. This was my first exposure to art. It would be many years before I would return to further explore this interest. After art school my creative interests led me into a variety of creative positions.  For 13 years I was with the Hudsons Bay Company (HBC) and eventually worked out of the head office in Winnipeg as the national director overseeing the implementation of the merchandising and visual presentation priorities in the 250 HBC stores across Canada. I eventually left the Bay and started my own design business as a retail sales consultant. At this time I also marketed, conceptualized, designed and installed seasonal decor packages for shopping centres primarily in Manitoba.  I have also had a keen interest in travelling and have visited 35 countries and travelled by motorcycle in 23 of those countries. Some motorcycling trips have included riding from Germany to Corsica; the UK; Spain to Morocco; Winnipeg to the Copper Canyon in Mexico en route to riding the four deserts of North America; Victoria to Panama City, Panama; and Victoria to Cabo San Lucas. These trips included many highlights including canyoneering in Utah and trekking to 100’ above Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal to name a few. Having finally retired, I am now able to devote much more time to my passion for painting. After painting part-time in pastels for 20 years, I am now able to work full time on my art work. My subject matter has included the places that I have visited, however more recently I have focused on capturing the iconic locations from our VSC plein air outings and from other unique locations closer to home.  NOTE: Ken McKenzie is the Artist in Residence at the Empress Hotel for the month of February.

Presenting the 2024 Artwork for the Victoria Sketch Club's Annual Art Show and Sale

 

Member Profile Series ~ Agnes Oosterhof

 

Member Profile with Agnes Oosterhof

Agnes Oosterhof was born and raised in the Netherlands.  She obtained a BSc in Physical Education, and moved to Hong Kong in the early 1970’s, where both her sons were born. She took portraiture classes in The Hague and downtown HK, and taught at private girls’ schools.  In 1980 her family moved to Toronto, where she taught for 17 yrs. In the 1990’s she joined the Willowdale Group of Artists. A job opportunity brought her to Victoria, BC, where she was the Principal as well as a  teacher in a small Christian school. She enhanced her certification by obtaining a Master’s degree in Leadership and Administration.  In the arts field, Agnes enjoys painting (watercolour and acrylics), as well as sketching with pencil, conte and pen. Upon retirement in 2014, she joined the Victoria Sketch Club and was involved as follows: Program Convenor, EnPlein Air organizer, Newsletter, Show Director 2020 (the show was cancelled due to Covid), Secretary and Show Co-Director 2024. When she's not creating art, she enjoys visiting with family and friends, gardening, walking, knitting, making digital photo books, as well as being involved in her local church. Next month's profile: VSC member Ken McKenzie

Submitting your Member Profile Consider adding your profile to this monthly section! Please included a bio picture in jpg format, as well as a sample of your art. Word count can range from 200 to 300 words. Submissions and / or queries can be sent to

Note from VSC President

 

Note from VSC President

We are a very active and creative art club! With our annual Art Show less than two months away, I’m sure we are all sorting out our approach; painting that particular painting and of course, thinking about how we can help out, as our Show runs on the amazing contributions you all make to make it a stellar show. In these days leading up to that time, there are moments when we are gathered together, working diligently, and there is utter quiet as we sink into our creative works. It’s a magical time as we collectively understand where each of us is at, given our shared passion as artists. This is your newsletter and newsletters aren’t all about words. Often, photos grab one’s interest and imagination and keep us interested. With that in mind, I encourage you to take photos of your workspace, your beautifully messy palette, your work in progress. We can develop a bit of a library to tell the story of who we are. Send your photos to Amy (victoriasketchclub@gmail.com) and we’ll create a file as fodder for further newsletters and communications. Yours truly, Gillian Rhodes