Inspiration by the sea

Local artist captures the tugboats of British Columbia

Alove for the sea, boats, and painting. What started as a small side endeavour to focus on during COVID, has turned into a fullscale, years-long passion project for artist Christina Morrison.

Morrison, an artist from Victoria, B.C., began The West Coast Tugboat Project in 2020 as a way to combine her love of painting with the ocean. Mariners and marine photographers from around the province have been sending her photos of their tugs which she then transforms into bold and vibrant paintings. All she needs is a good photo.

“This little idea basically hit right when COVID did and it has kept me so busy,” says Morrison. “I really wanted to capture what’s happening on our coast now, but I’ve had so many people come forward and request certain historical tugs be painted also.”

Morrison, who grew up on the shores of Sooke, says she always found inspiration in the ocean, along with its boats and harbours. She would spend her family vacations at the oceanside in Qualicum Beach and loved watching the boats cruise past. She began painting murals and small paintings for friends and family in the mid 2000s, and she painted her first boat in 2014; the North Isle, a B.C. heritage fish boat.

“My true passions are tugs, old wooden and working boats of the West Coast,” says Morrison. “Tugboats are a vital part of our communities especially living on an Island, and I love the stories and histories of the boats and the memories that my art inspires in people.”

Working full time for a major marine logistics company, Morrison paints in her free time. She has completed

60 paintings in the last year and a half and estimates that with her current roster, now at 560 requests, it may her take her another 15 years of painting to complete. She also has a list of decommissioned tugs that are no longer afloat that she would like to paint as she believes their histories deserve to be captured.

Morrison’s works have been displayed in art galleries, markets, and events around Vancouver Island, and she still accepts a few commissions each year. Her hope is to one day publish a coffee table book that compiles all her works along with the original story behind each piece, and she would like see her paintings become a part of B.C.’s maritime history.

“I have been so overwhelmed with the response I’ve received from mariners,” she says. “It has filled my spare time and my heart to make these paintings.”

To learn more about Christina Morrison and her passion project, the West Coast Tugboat Project, visit christintamorrisonart.com. Ü