Claire Watson ArtClaire and her husband Adam reside in Tofino, British Columbia. You can find her Saturdays from late May to early October at the Tofino Market in the Village Green from 10-2pm.  Scroll down for her detailed bio!

 

The wild west coast often brings on the thought of bears, wolves and cougars as the ‘local’ wildlife, but these critters are the ones who come out at night to cause trouble. Racoons may be super cute, but they can be nasty if cornered (my old husky/malamute lost part of her ear to a young one once). They also will take any opportunity to raid any left out trash. Tofino is full of ‘animal proof’ trash/recycle bins around town so they can’t get in, but they seriously will come all the way down the dock to the boat if we accidentally forget to take our garbage up! You will also notice that most of the bins in town are artfully wrapped (there are three with my art on them). I was going to draw in this one, but I decided to let you try instead. If you want to share it with me, just hashtag #tofinocolour on your post!

You’ll see this page in Tofino Time magazine this October. Please feel free to download from my site as well, but please… pretty please… leave my contact info on the bottom if you are sharing them in your business, or other public spaces. 🙂  Download & colour here!

Claire Watson’s Bio:

Being raised on the coast of Vancouver Island, I was immersed in the natural culture of the ocean early in life. I had many opportunities to travel and explore by sea much of the coastline of North America mostly by sailboat or salmon packer in which I developed a deep connection and admiration for this coast. The rugged shores, ocean swells, hardy forest fringes, mountain vistas, starry nights, dynamic daily changes in light and weather, secluded beaches… a rugged, yet fragile landscape makes up the environment I call home. We are all tethered to nature and must respect who and what we are, and this, in essence, has become the inspiration behind my work.

I work primarily in pen and ink and watercolour – the ability to control the fine line work detail but then let it go with the unpredictable nature of watercolour is something I can identify with. I have also been enjoying acrylic and tackling the surfaces of Surfboards, Skateboards and hats when the weather is right and I can work outside (the lack of a studio has me getting creative with my small spaces)! My illustrations have been featured to promote many of the popular large events and organizations of the Pacific Rim Coast including the Pacific Rim Whale Festival (2015), Tofino Food and Wine Festival (2016), and the Pacific Rim Arts Society (PRAS) Summer Festival (2015 and 2016). I also volunteer my design and illustration services for Surfrider Pacific Rim and Clayoquot CleanUp, and am on the board of directors for the Tofino Arts Council. Clients and collaborations include Patagonia, HSBC, Natures Path Organic Foods, Tofitian, Tourism Ucluelet, District of Tofino amongst others.