Timothy Wilson Hoey says if someone doesn’t understand his art, they’re probably not Canadian.
“People go, ‘What type of artist are you?’ I’m like, ‘I’m not an artist. I’m just a painter and a total, horrible nostalgist,'” he said.
“I just love any of that collective history that we all share and no matter where you are in the country, there’s a few things that kind of resonate all the way along.”
Since 2007 The Victoria-based painter’s muse has been popular Canadian culture. His O Canada series of shows features paintings of the country’s most recognizable people, animals, and inanimate objects.
“It’s a great show in the sense that I don’t have to explain any of it. People will come and completely understand right away that it’s Canadian,” he said.
In keeping with his theme of national identity, Hoey has been holding regular Canada Day showings of his work, mostly in B.C. and Alberta cities.
This year Hoey and his work will be celebrating Canada Day in Nanaimo for the first time.
Hoey’s 11th annual O Canada Portage Show comes to Gallery Merrick, from Thursday, June 28 to July 1. The artist will be in attendance on opening night and on Canada Day. He said he expects to meet two different crowds.
“On the opening reception before Day it’s all the locals who are coming to see the show before they had off for the long weekend and then on Canada day itself it’s usually people visiting the city,” he said.
Hoey said he brings a new show to each city and Nanaimo will be treated to paintings, framed with hockey sticks, depicting distinctly Canadian images like Joni Mitchell, table hockey, beavers and stubby beer bottles.
“It shocks me how much fun I’m having with the series and the fact that I can keep going places to have these fun Canada Day shows where it’s just collections of work to celebrate our general Canadianness,” he said.
“Our various icons, our kitsch, our heroes, anything you can think of I’ve probably painted it in the last decade.”
Hoey’s travels have taken him as far as Trafalgar Square in London, where he celebrated Canada Day with 75,000 people, but he said the “craziest” town in which to honour the nation’s birthday is Canmore, Alta. He said marching bands bound for the Calgary Stampede use the mountain town as a warm-up stop.
“That’s a really fun town to be in on Canada Day, but every town has their own way of celebrating it and they all bring something different to the table,” he said.
This year, he’ll see how it’s done in Nanaimo.
WHAT’S ON … Timothy Wilson Hoey’s O Canada Portage Show comes to Gallery Merrick, 13B Commercial St., from Thursday, June 28 to July 1. Hoey will be in attendance during opening reception, June 28 from 7 to 9 p.m., and on July 1, from noon to 4 p.m.
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