The Artist
Faces have haunted Paul Ygartua throughout his artistic life. They have also brought him international recognition. His travels to Europe, South America, and Western Canada have led him to paint the strength, dignity, and struggle of native and ethnic peoples of the world.

Ygartua is of Basque heritage, but was born in northern England. He earned a degree in Industrial Design from Liverpool College, and is a member of the Guild of Gold and Silversmithing. His beginnings as a jewellery designed soon gave way to the more powerful images of the first peoples he is now known for.

He won universal acclaim for his Native Heritage series, and his paintings have been exhibited in Western Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and Japan. One of his finest works graced the exterior walls of the United Nations Pavilion at the world exposition (Expo ‘86) in Vancouver.

The Art
After a life of living rough, Charlie Abbott wandered into Chemainus in the early 1970's and settled in a forest area nearby. Living alone in the forest he loved, he slowly transformed it. Old and bet with age, Charlie created flower beds, walled pathways, trails and secluded corners. Charlie's solitary sanctuary, the "Hermit Trail", was a masterpeice of garden and wilderness which he shared with visitors until his death in 1989, at the age of 87.