Royal Coachman, Campbell River – Oil on Canvas

Description

The Royal coachman pub and restaurant in wonderful garden in the back of the property was for many years the place to be in Campbell river. In the winter, the roaring fire in the fireplace brought tears to peoples hearts, as well as a meal and a glass of wine or a beer. The fire in the fireplace was real firewood not a gas fireplace like in today’s world. The fire crackle sparks flew.
In the summer, the Royal coachman garden inevitably won first prize on the Campbell river garden tour. The oval Bridge, over the fish pond with Lily pot pads with reminiscent of the Mony’s garden at the Orangerie in Paris.
The name Royal coachman comes from flyfishing. The Royal coachman is a fly pattern. Campbell river is a hub for fishing pole lake fishing river, fishing and saltwater fishing. Roderick Haig Brown wrote his books and they became the Bible for fishermen both in Canada and in the UK. I remember a Carpenter in Campbell River, who had a huge collection of Haig Brown memorabilia. On a trip to England, he was wandering through London. He happened upon flyfishing shop and wandered in. He mentioned that he was from Campbell River. We’re going to run quickly he was from Campbell river. Everybody wanted to meet him as they had read pig Brown’s books And were caught up in the emotion of fishing on Vancouver Island. Only the elite in Britain had an opportunity to fly fish on the estate. Every young boy in Vancouver Island has an opportunity to go fishing. I caught my first trout in the Capilano river in North Vancouver, when I was six years old , I had a stick pole in a light line tied to the end with a hook and a worm. That’s all you needed the dangling worm, attracted to fish and I quickly hauled it up to the beach. Older brother, and father did not catch any fish. I was a hero. They took a picture of me with my cat , it was only about 4 inches long and I played with that fish in that stick in line for months afterwards. It was a big deal to a young boy.
It is sad day at the Royal coachman, pub and restaurant went into decline. Innocence in the 21st-century, being bulldozed and turned into condos. It is it a testament to the difficulty of running a successful restaurant. When the new owners took over botulism made some of the customer sick what’s the word got around in Campbell River your business died as did the restaurant. I will have to remember to write the story on the back of this painting, so that the memory of the venerable Royal coachman restaurant in Pub will live on for posterity.
I was living in Cumberland at the time teaching at North Island college. The woman and her friend from Campbell river showed up and bought five paintings. That was more than my salary at North Island college for one month of teaching. That is why I kept working part time teaching art. That freed me to keep painting and exhibiting my work. At that time I did a lot of art rentals I will take the ferry to Vancouver drop off paintings at North Vancouver arts Council turn on history, art gallery in White rock, Earth cancel, then Richmond art gallery and finishing up at the Vancouver Gallery art rental program. Generated cash flow from rentals, and also sales of paintings. in my 50 year career I’ve sold over 5000 paintings. Can you call me the marketing genius. I learn by trial and error. I have made all the mistakes put up also been very successful. 50 of my friends artist and musicians are all dead as they did not learn their lesson of the market place. Many of them were also cigarette smokers. And died of lung cancer.
Who is painting of the Royal coachman the perspective need your eye across the bridge in a pond, the restaurant doors open, and you can look into the warmth of the interior. Again I use hot colours in the foreground, the goldfish and the lilies, notice the Gothic arches of the lattice work. The sun is setting off to the right side of the picture. Oil paint is much softer than acrylics being organic. Acrylic paint comes from the oil barrel being plastic. The water-based paint dries flat and the colours are brighter. See oil you can play with texture of the teeth Pic gobs of paint like in Vincent van Goghs paintings. Come forward in the thinner paint receipts in space as the colours become more muted. It is a simple concept, but very effective. Noticed the contrast between organic forms with your irregular and man-made forms which are geometric circle squares, and triangles. Black shark seeker lines. Come forward in Lyons. Receipt forms better than circled by lines are pulled forward in the picture plate. I learned that lesson from Sybil Andrews readings a very successful artist in Willow point. My friend Barbara I would visit every year and meet her for lunch at the Royal coachman . She also build your own home on 2 acres Hornby Island when she divorced her husband. One summer I did art shows at her home and sold $40,000 worth of paintings to the tourist. I love the pink pictures but I also being a scott love to make money. But that time I got lucky and purchased my Black Creek home without buildings for only $190,000. It had been on the market for $325,000 but they were no buyers because there is a hoarder living next-door. I love the hoarders collection of old vehicles and did many paintings of wrecked cars. Later, the Regional District made the owner clear up the property and he moved away. He was an interesting fellow in the old guard garage. He had a stack of beer and all his buddies loggers and fisherman would come on the weekends and sit around, tell stories and drink for free beer , I was the fly in the world listening always tells you later. Use them in my books.
When is coming? Who wants to work with me do my books 6 boating on the BC coast. His family were commercial fisherman and he has many stories to tell in wants to lay down in book form together with paintings a Fifth Scotsy, salmon calories in fishing village up and down the coast. I am looking forward to working with him.
I think it is fair to say the Campbell river is the salmon capital of the world. There are many stories. The tidy club is an elite group of people who have caught a tiny salmon, which is a spring salmon weighing over 30 pounds from a rowboat. He takes up to a few hours to land, a struggling tire, which is a spring salmon over 30 pounds. The word Tyee Tay comes from coast, Salish first nations, and means chief.
Where are my favourite stories with the fellow and his best friend Julian, for salmon in the Thai pool. I hope the large fish played it and got it into the net when we were hauling it aboard he noticed a fishing lure, called a lucky Louis hanging from the fishes mouth, he began to pull in. The line at the end of the line was a very expensive fishing rod. Are you only have the landed the trophy fish but it also landed very expensive fishing rod. The sad ending to the Royal coachman, pub and restaurant will however move on in the memories of many of the locals. It will not be forgotten. I have done many paintings of the Royal coachman. They will also live on that’s a record of that venerable institution.