Honeymoon, Day 13: Art & Butchart

TRIP DATE: July 14, 2016 | SLIDESHOW | PHOTO ALBUM | Other Honeymoon Posts

Our second full day in Victoria was devoted to visual and botanical art. We headed out in the afternoon to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. It occupies and extends the 1889 Spencer Mansion, which was designed by William Ridgeway Wilson and built by George Mesher as Gyppeswyk, the Old-English name for the Suffolk town of Ipswich, for original owner Alexander Green, a banker who made his fortune in the Australian and American gold rushes. David Spencer was the last owner, having made his money in dry goods, and his family occupied the mansion from 1903 to 1951. His daughter Sara gave it to the city as an art gallery. The only intact feature of the mansion is the beautiful foyer, featuring gorgeous paneling.

A room with art for sale caught much of our attention, as I did not care for the exhibit on Emily Carr. Wendy snapped Michael Munday’s Abstract #1 and giggled at Cheryl Martin Bakke’s It’s A Good Day to Dance and I See You as well as Hare Boy by Karina Kalvaitis. We both liked the colors of Sunset by Stephanie, but not enough to pay $340 Canadian for it. Wendy liked Leah Patterson’s A Long Walk on the Beach and Tofino. I was very impressed by Elspeth McLean‘s Orca’s Kiss, Solstice Sunset, and Over the Hills.

Orca’s Kiss by Elspeth McLean

We ate at John’s Place before driving half an hour north to Butchart Gardens at Brentwood Bay. The huge collection of roses was the primary focus, and Wendy has posted about those previously. She delightedly made the rounds, admiring and photographing different blooms.

Wendy at Butchart Gardens

What a hosta!

The garden brims with beautiful beds with specimens of various sorts in a variety of colors. Most have big blooms, some of which are quite stunning. Wendy posed beside a huge hosta to give it scale. Creative topiary and a barrage of plantings adorn the sunken garden, which we could admire from above and closer in. From most vantage points you see layers of color.

Big Blooms at Butchart

We saw specimens with black petals, a profusion of petals, a stack of petals, a cup of petals, and much more. I would go in close for a macro shot of a flower with its many stamens or the varying color of some petals, including some that reminded me of an explosion.

A brief shower had us ducking under some plants for shelter near the Butchart house at one point, opting again to forego another Japanese Garden overrun with visitors. We viewed, but did not ride, the Rose Carousel.