Gerry was an architect but he was an artist first. We no longer have the early drawings that G’s mother Elsie had stowed away back in their Nanaimo home before moving to a care facility. I remember there were pictures of horses and cars, every boy’s favourite thing to draw. Horses are difficult, G told me, people get the legs wrong all the time. I recall that his horse’s legs were correct.
You will notice there are not many art drawings after moving to Nova Scotia in 2000. The reason being his time was taken up doing architectural drawings for the more than 50 projects he worked on over those 20+ years – all hand drawn and lettered – No CAD for him.
Here is a collection of the ones that still exist – here and there …
Pastel – Steveston Boat Yard – 1960
Pastel – Steveston BC
Early painting from ’60s – salvaged by Sue and Steve Olliver
Early watercolour – could be Nanaimo or Steveston BC
Gerry and first wife Janet lived and worked abroad in 1965 and 1966. The first year was spent in England where G worked on the Barbican project. Many drawing trips were taken in their VW bus.
In the summer, they travelled to Denmark with a letter of introduction to a famous architect but stopped in Copenhagen to visit friends Peer and Gini Bardenfleth Hansen and architect buddy from Vancouver, Nick Bawlf. Long story short, they stayed a year in Copenhagen. Son Torben was born here October 31.
August 22 1965 Kastellet
Before returning to Canada, 3 months were spent travelling through Europe with infant Torben.
From 1967 – London Taxi at Night This is an early oil painting given to parents Elsie & Norman Rolfsen after return from European adventure. G made some adjustments to it in 2011 so legend shows 2 dates
Silkscreen 7/10 of a series done by NGR. There are other numbered copies out there …
Gerry called this silkscreen American Harvest using an image of Angela Davis as she became a more militant activist over the Vietnam War. That is an American flag with the outline of a coffin under it. Gerry overpainted this piece in 2003 to change Angela’s face to become more of a warrior. This is a pic of it unchanged.
In 1981, Gerry and Janet returned to Greece for an extended vacation. Many more of G’s line drawings were created.
This line drawing was done in the hills of Tuscany in the summer of 1996. Gerry experimented with overpainting with water colours.
Gerry made this postcard painting for his riding buddy Carissa Chappellet during their Odyssey 2000 adventure
Gerry made this painting for Sue and Steve Olliver on our vacation in France in 2004. This is the view from the courtyard of our vacation rental in Caromb, Provence.
Gerry was asked to create a drawing of an imagined new waterfront for Lunenburg NS. He went on to serve as a Director of the lunenburg Waterfront Association Inc. for the period of 2005-2022 and as Chair for 5 years
Gerry made this drawing of the Picton Castle in port of Lunenburg for Captain Dan Moreland
Two pics of Puyloubier, Provence done 2008 while staying at home of Liz & John Dickinson, G’s clients in Mahone Bay NS
2008 – Locals playing petanque in Provence
Gerry spent several summers with friend Fred Sheppard in Carrion de los Condes, Spain
Fred has always dreamed of having a house built on his Spanish property in the shape of a guitar. This was G’s idea.
