The Artist
Born in South Africa, Kiff Holland received his formal art training at the University of Witwatersrand and at the Johannesburg School of Art. He chose to emigrate to Canada in 1975 and soon discovered the new spectrum of soft colours and ethereal hues offered by this northern land.

The artist's ardour for juxtaposing luminous colours can be found in his mural, "First School House, 1883". The calculated interaction of texture, light, and the flickering network of colour patches demonstrates the influence that both Bahaus and the impressionists had on Holland's artistic development.

Kiff Holland's works in acrylic, watercolour, and oil have been exhibited at the British Institute of Painters in Watercolour and the Royal Society of British Artists. His paintings can be found in galleries in North America and South America.

The Art
In 1883, the first public school in Chemainus was built next to the route of the E&N Railway. The mural is based on an 1885 photograph.

In the background is Samuel Girdlestone Lewis, the first local school teacher. He also ran a number of local businesses. From left to right in the foreground are Jack Windsor, Fred Cottenham, Elsie and Charlie Campbell, Mary Windsor, William Thomas, George, Lillie, Fred, and Tom Bonsall, and Joe Allard.