Yesterday, the Robson Valley lost a gentle spirit and talented artist, and Joan and I lost a dear friend--Trevor Jones. It had been hard to watch the rapid decline of his body to cancer, but throughout his doomed struggle, he maintained an amazing cheerful strength of character.
We first met Trev in 1980, when he and Di arrived in McBride in a truck covered with the dust from the erupting Mt. St. Helens, immigrating from England to Canada. Because he was a painter, he came to an Art Council meeting and was introduced. Even long before my painting days, I had always been a fan of realism, and I was gobsmacked when I saw Trevor’s paintings of mountains with their amazingly blue skies.
Trevor was the first serious artist I had met and we became good friends. Having arrived in the Robson Valley ourselves just a couple of years earlier, we were happy to join together and explore the pristine mountains and valleys. Trev and I did a back packing trip up to Mt. Robson’s Berg Lake, which was the only time I have been up there. In between the exploring, we did a lot of socializing with the Joneses on weekends. We joined them in celebration when they had their child, Rachel.
That first year was a struggle for them, because they could not find employment. We weren’t rich either, but we bought a painting Trevor did of “The Helmet”, a feature on the back side of Mt. Robson, for some cash and a big bag of potatoes we had grown. Fortunately, Trevor was eventually able to get an art teaching job at the high school.
I was always somewhat envious of Trevor, for finding an art form and dedicating himself to it. I was always floundering between photography, music, and other things without ever really excelling in any. He had an extensive library of art books, and was always buying new ones, like I said, he was very serious about art. I always felt sorry that he never really found the recognition, (beyond the regional) that he wished for.
There is a small group of friends that always join together to visit and feast at special occasions, birthdays, Christmas, and New Years holidays. Trevor and Norma were always an integral part of those celebrations, and our future gatherings will not be quite the same without his presence. We will miss you Trev,
Blue Skies.
Trevor's painting, The Helmet
Trevor and our dog on one of our hikes
Norma and Trevor on one one of their winter walks.
You can view my paintings at: davidmarchant.ca
No comments:
Post a Comment