Embark on a visual journey of Vancouver Island through the pages of Vancouver Island: The Art of the Landscape.
Beauty is all around us, and Vancouver Island couple Dave and Kelly Hutchison have captured it through their new book covering the island and adjacent Gulf Islands. It was released on Feb. 15, reaching No. 1 on the BC Bestseller list by late March, and the couple is headed to Volume One Books in Duncan for an event in April.
"We are speechless, it feels surreal to have reached No. 1 BC Bestseller status," said photographer Dave Hutchison. "I also feel quite satisfied to see our shared vision come to life and so many people are enjoying it, the positive feedback has been tremendous."
The Art of the Landscape is the celebration of a 20-year photographic journey of two nature lovers who together shared the vision to create a pictorial fine art book full of scenic images to both preserve and honour the Vancouver Island landscape. Since first picking up a camera Dave has had the opportunity to supply some of his images for many publications including books, calendars, tourist guides, and magazines, while Kelly has enjoyed writing most of her life this book is a first for them both.
"It has been a dream of mine, prior to meeting Kelly, to create a fine art photography coffee table book," said Dave. "Kelly loves to write and research, she's a nature lover, an artist and a forest therapy guide who has had a lifelong dream to create a non-fiction book."
Dreams were realized when the two came together three years ago. They began gathering images for the book in the fall of 2023, with the writing following in January, 2024. Kelly spent nine years on Salt Spring Island while Dave says Sidney was his home base for 21 years. The couple has currently been enjoying life in Saanich since last August.
"The journey to create this book has been one of discovery, creativity and shared purpose," said Kelly. "For Dave, it was the culmination of over 20 years of tireless exploration, searching for the perfect light, angle and story within every frame. His love of photography first began as a hobby, eventually growing into a full-time career. For me, it was a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of writing an informative book, while sharing in the joy of seeing Dave’s exquisite photography come to life in a story. Together, we sought to create a piece of art that celebrated not only the stunning diversity of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, but also our mutual reverence for its forests, mountains and endless coastlines."
The Art of the Landscape delves into some of the island's history and for easy reference is organized into seven separate geographical regions. From cityscapes to flora, fauna and wildlife there are more than 150 full colour images for people to fall in love with.
Distributed by Sandhill Book Marketing Ltd, the Hutchison's new coffee table book can be purchased at any bookstore across Canada including the BC Ferries and Chemainus Theatre Gift Shop, and Duncan's Volume One Books. The couple will be at Volume One Books for an event on April 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
