Finishing a sale in Mosi Bakery Café & Gelateria, Central Saanich artist, William Watt sat with the PNR to talk about his latest series Along Sparton Road, which can be found and sold inside the café.
After moving to Central Saanich from Richmond, B.C., Watt and his wife found a temporary rental at Kaeley’s church house at Oldfield and Sparton roads. While searching for their permanent home, the two took many walks in the fall, which inspired Watt’s latest series. Since then, the couple has found a home in Central Saanich, and the painting continues and those moments are now hanging in the café for the public to view.
“For landscape, the fall is always good because its got such great colour and it all stands out very nicely,” he said.
Primarily a landscape painter, Watt said moving to the Island may cause him to potentially take up more west coast scenes in his work.
Watt said he has always been involved in art work, having also worked in other professions as well including the commercial photographic industry.
He worked primarily in oils for his most recent series, however he has also used acrylics and watercolours.
“As the fall went along and it changed, it was really interesting to see the changes and there was all sorts of different things going on with the light and the colour…”
Watt is currently working on a series now on Active Pass, the area where the ferry passes through the Gulf Islands, working from photographs as reference materials.