Mark Hobson Gallery
For the next stop on this tour, continue along Campbell Street and turn north just after the RCMP building to find the Tofino Contemporary Art Gallery just behind Rhino Coffee.
I feel like I’m one of a very few, very lucky artists in this planet. I actually have a staff and a gallery.—Mark Hobson
This artist-run gallery showcases the work of Mark Hobson, including original oils and watercolours, as well as giclée prints. Other local artists’ work is also featured including that of Deanna Lankin and “Feather George” Yearsley.
Hobson’s art reflects his love of the Pacific Northwest Coast and draws on his science background to create hyperreal depictions of its environs and species— capturing its unique light, magic and mystery. From wolves wandering the mudflats of Clayoquot Sound to lush undersea scapes to grizzlies in the Great Bear Rainforest, Hobson’s work inspires an awe for this world. As a viewer, you are quickly swept up as If witnessing these ephemeral scenes firsthand.
A recipient of the Artists for Conservation Simon Combes Conservation Artist Award, Hobson’s art and activism to protect the coast have been closely intertwined. This has included successful campaigns collaborating with other artists, such as: Art for the Oil-free Coast in 2012 with 50 artists painting in plein air in the Kynoch Inlet in the Great Bear Rainforest, followed by a book and touring art exhibition, and an earlier initiative in 1989, working with 100 artists to protect old-growth forest in Vancouver Island’s Carmanah Valley.
To learn more about Mark Hobson’s artwork, please visit: www.markhobson.com
