Here’s a follow-up guest post by Jason Vanderhill, an avid artist and photographer, plus designer of several transit buttons that you might have in your collection.

Almost 2 years ago now, I put together a little Vancouver Transit and Art post for the Buzzer blog and included one of the images from the Capilano Calendar of 2010 (Ferry to Horseshoe Bay by Katrina Espetveidt).

I had a lot of fun putting that post together, so I thought I ought to revisit the theme and shine a special spotlight on the Capilano Calendar series.

The Capilano IDEA Program’s Reflections Vancouver 2011 Calendar was officially launched Tuesday evening in West Vancouver, and this year, I attended the opening.

I got to meet a number of the artists this year, including Mika Joronen, the student responsible for building this year’s CapCalendars website. He told me he has a soft spot for transportation and has also painted a number of train stations from his travels. He chose to paint the Canada Line as his subject matter for this year’s series. (Train 118 by Mika Joronen) This painting isn’t officially included in the 2011 calendar, but the original painting is for sale for $950, as are all of the other original paintings in this series. Act fast; these items are apt to sell out!

I’m pleased to say Mika also revealed a little secret about the CapCalendars website; in case you’ve missed any calendars from prior years, you can browse them all by entering the year after the URL.

ie:
http://www.capcalendars.com/2010
http://www.capcalendars.com/2009
http://www.capcalendars.com/2008
http://www.capcalendars.com/2007
http://www.capcalendars.com/2006
http://www.capcalendars.com/2005

Armed with this information, I took a look back over the calendar’s history and selected a few more transit inspired works to showcase here.

From the 2005 calendar, Commercial Station by Dana Lu shows a MkII SkyTrain loading up with passengers.

Back O’ the Bus by Brent Collister is a tribute to Hockney and the Pop Art movement of the 1960s.

Vision of Chinatown by Nytia Wu shows a faithful old Metrotown 19 bus heading through Chinatown.

The 2006 calendar shows some magnificent views of the city, including a cameo appearance of the SkyTrain tracks near Stadium Station in Home Away From Home by David Daluz.

This painting of the SkyTrain at Commercial from 2007 might still be available for purchase.

The Sleeping Giants by Eileen Soo features a Seabus among the signature red cranes of the Port of Vancouver.

This painting from 2009, A Walk to The Seabus by Aurelie Grand, shows commuters on the pedestrian walkway overlooking the tracks and the Westcoast Express. It may also be available for purchase. [Note from Jhen: Aurelie Grand illustrated the July 2009 Buzzer!]

And finally, a handsome painting of the Pacific Central Station by Cynthia Buckshon could be yours.

I confess, there are more paintings in this series than I have the wall space for, so I do recommend you see these new works in person while you can, and at the very least, consider acquiring a great local calendar for 2011. (May 4-16 at the FERRY BUILDING GALLERY, 1414 Argyle Avenue, West Vancouver, BC, 604-925-7290).

Many thanks to Jason for this enlightening piece! If you would like to submit a guest post to the blog, pitch me your idea via e-mail.