Camino de Santiago de Compostela

Last year, I went on a great adventure.

After flying into Amsterdam and travelling by train down to the southwest corner of France, I began a pilgrimage. Starting in St. Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Pyrenees, I followed a very ancient pilgrim route across Spain to Santiago de Compostela in the northwest. I then continued on out the to coast at Finisterre and Muxía. It was a long walk - almost 1000 km (over 600 miles).

Since I had to carry everything, including my sleeping bag, on my back, I took travel watercolours rather than my oils or pastels. (They're much lighter and much less hassle.) I had hoped to do at least one painting/drawing every day, both as a record of my trip and as a way to really see. Luckily, I also took along my camera, because as they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men/often go awry" ("the best laid schemes o' mice an' men/gang aft agley").  The watercolour plan didn't work out. It rained and rained, and then my watercolour paints all ran together. I guess the watercolours weren't meant to be.

However, around Christmas, 2008, I began to paint in oils using my photographs and memories as reference. I spent three wonderful weeks at the Banff Centre, where I continued this exploration of both the outer journey and the inner journey of the Camino. When I returned home to Metchosin, the adventure carried right on.

And now...

The final paintings were exhibited in a show entitled "Parallel Journeys", from  May 23 - June 18, 2009 at the Martin Batchelor Gallery, 712 Cormorant St., Victoria, B.C.

The Camino paintings made be seen in galleries Camino 1 through Camino 5.

For links to Camino organizations, please see "Links".

THANK YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEFT ME MESSAGES ABOUT THIS SHOW, BUT FOR WHOM I DON'T HAVE RETURN EMAIL ADDRESSES.  I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT.  BUEN CAMINO!