Navy vessels among paintings on display

HMCS Provider by John M. Mulders. Provider was a support ship and the first in the fleet, as well as the largest ship ever built in Canada for the Canadian Navy during its time. It was commissioned in 1963 and was built to carry fuel, ammunition, supplies, dry and refrigerated provisions, and replacement helicopters among other necessary freight to aid its naval fleet. Photo credit: Maritime Museum of BC

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

A new art show featuring a cross-section of art work from the Maritime Museum of B.C. has opened at Victoria’s Government House over the weekend.

The collection of over 500 art works from the museum made their debut at the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia on Nov. 8 and will be available for viewing until the fall of 2020.

“The art show highlights paintings of life along our coast over the past several hundred years,” says David Leverton, Maritime Museum of B.C. Executive Director. “Important to this theme is artwork representing the protection of our coastline by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).”

This is portrayed in the work of John M. Mulders, including his painting of former RCN supply vessel HMCS Provider. Provider was the largest ship ever built for the RCN during the Cold-War era and was assigned to CFB Esquimalt from 1969 until it was paid off in 1998.

Edward Goodall’s portrayal of former RCN Flower-class corvette HMCS Sudbury and the rescue of S.S. Glafkos in Barkley Sound during the 1960s is another painting featured in the art show.

Other works of art include early European discovery of B.C., the whaling industry, and vessels of the Canadian Coast Guard, tugboats and ferries.