Lizzie and Paul are an artist-couple living in Tofino where there is a thriving creative community. Lizzie is an international contemporary visual artist who has just opened her own gallery here ‘The fortyonehundred Art Gallery’, and Paul is a photographer specialising in weddings & commercial work. We invited them to interview each other for this Tourism Tofino blog post!

 

 

Lizzie: Why did you choose to live in Tofino?

Paul: It sounds cliché, but I think Tofino must have chosen me. This place is full of people that may not have intended to stay when they first arrived. I love the rainforest, the eagles, bears, wolves, cougars, otters, ravens, salmon, the tide pools..and the surf! We have such a dynamic and thriving balance of nature here and it finds its way into our creative work.

Lizzie: I feel exactly the same. I used to live in cities and was always escaping to the beach. Now we live at the beach, but in a place with lots of opportunity. The people here are so lovely and the wildlife is absolutely fascinating. I moved my dog George here a couple of months ago – he loves it too!

Paul: What is the best & worst thing about both being artists as a couple?

Lizzie: It’s great bouncing ideas off each other creatively and also in a business sense. We get to work together a bit too – I second-shoot some of your weddings, and sometimes you help me with painting a mural if there are simple areas that need filling in. The worst part is finding it hard to switch-off!

Photo by PAULLEVYPHOTO.

Lizzie: How do you find the seasonality out here? Does it ever feel ‘too quiet’ for someone that grew up in London, England?

Paul: I love it. The passage of time here feels like a natural rhythm. I use the winter downtime to visit my family back in the UK, and we find some warmer climates to visit when we can. I’m quite happy that we can holiday in cities but get to live out here in nature.

Paul: What projects do you have coming up?

Lizzie: I have some exciting collaborations coming up, a few big murals overseas, juggling lots of things! Having just opened the gallery here in Tofino, I am working on finding a balance between all of my different commitments.

Lizzie: What’s your ideal day off in Tofino?

Paul: This is tough. Hmm. Bear watching in the morning, stopping at Summit, Picnic and the Fish Store for some camping treats. After a surf we’d grab some tacos and then find a quiet spot to camp. We’d spend the evening by the fire and under the stars, occasionally wondering what that sound in the forest was.

Lizzie: Love those days. My ideal day includes a beach walk, yoga – at home or at Coastal Bliss, coffee, drawing all day, Kuma for dinner then early to bed! Plus, maybe a cedar-sour from Wolf in the Fog on a special day. Every day is a good day living in Tofino.

Check out Lizzie & Paul’s work on Instagram and around town.

@fortyonehundred
@paulmakespictures