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literary arts by Maureen Curtis Toni On ley's Tribute to British Columbia Toni Poni Onley's Onley's Tribute to British Columbia Front cover of book.Toni on painting Cheakamus "The simple linear and verbal way of understanding does not operate in a true wilderness. Here we need to rely on the primitive unconscious." - Toni Onley P BRITISH COLUMBIA A Tribute e o p l e w h o live h e r e k n o w that B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a is different f r o m Clacier, by Toni Onley the rest of C a n a d a . It has a unique h i s t o r y and a highly m u l t i - c u l t u r a l identity, w a c k y politics, and an e c o n - o m y that s e e m s t o f o l l o w an inverse p r o s p e r i t y c u r v e to, say. that of Alberta. This land also has a grey-green w i l d n e s s that speaks t o t h e soul. W e n o t i c e it w h e n a p a i n t e r such as Toni O n l e y is able t o c a p t u r e n o t just a visual r e n d e r i n g but also t h e e m o t i o n s that are inspired by B C ' s lonely o ~* ^ **beaches, h i d d e n lakes, and l o o m i n g m o u n t a i n peaks. O n l e y w a s b o r n in Britain and has t r a v e l l e d t o s o m e of t h e r e m o t e s t s p o t s o n t h e planet t o c a p t u r e the e s s e n c e of a place and d e v e l o p his unique a p p r o a c h t o t h e craft o f w a t e r c o l o u r painting. A c i t i z e n - o f t h e - w o r l d in his search f o r places t o e x p e r i e n c e , he calls British C o l u m b i a his h o m e . Toni Onley's British Columbia A palette of blues, greys, and b r o w n s t o s h o w us a land that is constantly t h r e a t e n e d by t h e mutability of t h e weather. W h e n it rains o r s n o w s , t h e w e t m a r k s o n t h e paint b e c o m e p a r t of t h e p i c t u r e . T r a c i n g the d e v e l o p m e n t of his talent and style, O n l e y harkens back t o his w a r t i m e c h i l d h o o d o n the Isle of M a n . E n r o l l i n g u n d e r w a t e r c o l o u r p a i n t e r J o h n H o b b s N i c h o l s o n , the 14-year-old O n l e y w o u l d o f t e n c l i m b o n his bike in t h e m i d d l e of w i n t e r t o f o l l o w his m a s t e r i n t o the c o l d and w e t . Later. O n l e y senior, an actor, t o o k his family t o O n t a r i o , w h e r e the y o u n g a r t i s t t r i e d t o adjust t o living and painting away f r o m t h e sea. In 1955, by n o w a y o u n g w i d o w e r , Onley moved to BC's Okanagan with his t w o daughters, ages t w o and four. H e gave a r t lessons and p a i n t e d the local landscapes but e a r n e d a living by w o r k i n g as an a r c h i t e c t u r a l draftsman in P e n t i c t o n . T h e n Onley w o n a scholarhip t o study a r t in M e x i c o . Packing up his daughters, he h e a d e d south.The called f o r a palette of black and w h i t e , w i t h " o c c a s i o n a l screaming p r i mary colours." O n l e y took a detour of several years into the a r t of collage and did n o t r e t u r n t o w a t e r c o l o u r s until o n e m o m e n t , s o m e t i m e later, w h e n he s t o o d in t h e British M u s e u m and was r e u n i t e d w i t h t h e w o r k of the British landscape artists he had o n c e studied. "I had c o m e h o m e to my source." says Onley. T h e artist returned to waterc o l o u r s , i n c o r p o r a t i n g many of t h e s i m p l e t e c h n i q u e s and a b s t r a c t p e r spectives he had l e a r n e d w h i l e e x p e r i m e n t i n g w i t h collage. O n l e y also began t o paint w i t h Japanese b r u s h e s and t o e m p l o y a t e c h n i q u e / p h i l o s o p h y o f using the u n t o u c h e d w h i t e p a p e r t o give m e a n i n g t o t h o s e p a r t s t o u c h e d by the brush. Settling in Vancouver, O n l e y t o o k up a lifestyle that involved flying his o w n craft and landing o n r e m o t e beaches and lakes. A ski plane, w h i c h he later c r a s h e d into a c r e v i c e , b r o u g h t h i m into intimate a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h the islands of H o w e S o u n d and the C o a s t Mountains. Tribute is o r i e n t e d a r o u n d t w o - d o z e n paintings of his " f a v o r i t e w i l d places," places he has hiked, c a n o e d , o r f l o w n to. Included are scenes f r o m the G u l f Islands, the w e s t coast o f V a n c o u v e r Island, the Stikine area. B o u n d a r y Stanley Park, and the Okanagan. Pulling o u t his travelling kit of paints and paper, O n l e y races against the changes in light and w e a t h e r that always figure p r o m i n e n t l y in his w o r k . "I have o n e eye o n my paper in t h e e x c i t e m e n t of getting it d o w n , freezing the moment, the o t h e r on my flying boat, making sure it is w e l l s e c u r e d o r that I a m n o t s t r a n d e d by a r e c e d i n g tide." O n l e y explains in t h e preface t o the b o o k . H i s easel is o f t e n the w i n g of his plane. To p o r t r a y British C o l u m b i a , O n l e y uses a light t o u c h and a Bay, c o u n t r y was "visually v i o l e n t " t o O n l e y ' s sensibilities, however, and it