鈥淓ccentric 鈥� well, maybe I am, but never, never boring.鈥�
That鈥檚 how artist Carolyn Kowalyk describes herself, and it鈥檚 the same way one could describe her home, which is as colourful as the woman who lives there, surrounded by art, books and treasures she鈥檚 collected on her travels.
You won鈥檛 find any 鈥淟ive, Laugh and Love鈥� poster art from a big-box store in the artfully curated yet cosy home Kowalyk shares with her partner, Roy Walters.
Kowalyk believes houses should reflect the individuality, culture and history of their inhabitants, as well as showcasing what they love 鈥� which the couple鈥檚 home does in spades.
鈥淚鈥檝e never lived in a boring house. I鈥檝e always lived in a place with my treasures around. It makes me feel warm,鈥� she says, adding: 鈥淚鈥檒l never be bored.鈥�
There鈥檚 something magical about the house, which you can sense as soon as you pull up to the driveway and hear what sounds like a river flowing, but is actually wind blowing through a nearby row of trembling aspen trees.
Then there is the house鈥檚 unusual colour combination: ochre with green and blue trim. Its original colour was white with brown trim, which Kowalyk repainted soon after moving in 20 years ago with her cat.
Walters, an American scientist she met in New Zealand, joined her two years later. She jokes that it was a good thing Walters wasn鈥檛 around initially, lest he object to her exterior colour choices.
The house, which has had additions over the years, is a Second World War-era home that was originally built on the site of what is now Mayfair Mall. It was moved in 1971 to its present location, down a country lane in central Saanich.
When Kowalyk moved to the three-quarters-of-an-acre property, it was overgrown, but the avid gardener immediately set to work to create an enviable garden that has colours blooming practically year-round.
Walters is also a keen gardener who grows much of the couple鈥檚 vegetables and tends to the many fruit trees. From the office deck, you could reach out to pluck fruit from the top of one of six apple trees overflowing in the fall with apples. The property also boasts two pear trees and two plum trees.
The couple鈥檚 1,700-square-foot house takes full advantage of the pastoral setting. 鈥淓very room here has multiple windows looking out to gorgeous scenes, birds, changing skies,鈥� Kowalyk says.
The main living room has floor-to-ceiling windows, as does a nearby sunroom that leads to a backyard patio. The absence of window treatments allows the homeowners to fully enjoy the home鈥檚 park-like setting.
Kowalyk鈥檚 favourite room, though, is her light-filled work studio on the lower level, with sliding glass doors that open onto an inviting side-garden patio. While most of the flooring in the house is wood, she installed tiles in the studio for easy clean-up. And when her artist easel was not able to open fully because of the room鈥檚 height restriction, Walters took out part of the floor above so the ceiling could could be lifted, even though it meant sacrificing part of his office area.
The office is where Walters鈥� personal history is most evident, with maps and books like the The Nordic Seas. Above his computer is a wall full of photographs, including a picture of him with buddies on a long hiking excursion and a photo from his days working as a boat captain in Alaska.
Walters also loves art and commissioned New Zealand artist Cheryl Oliver to create a pottery piece of a Viking with his ship, one of many art pieces in the couple鈥檚 living room.
鈥淐heryl made a flag for the ship, one that she thought fitted in with the colour scheme, but Roy insisted on our next trip south that she make a proper Viking flag, an Icelandic one,鈥� says Kowalyk, noting Roy has Icelandic genes.
Kowalyk, who is active in the local arts community, helped to bring Oliver as a guest artist to the Fired Up ceramic-art show in Metchosin in 2016.
Ceramic art is evident throughout the couple鈥檚 home 鈥� Kowalyk has been an avid collector since the 1960s.
Along a living-room ledge is a ceramic house made by a friend, while another pottery house on the mantle is from an artist in Tasmania, Australia, and a mixed-media house sculpture on sticks with fish below takes centre stage in the dining room. The piece, called Fishhaus, is by Victoria artist Leonard Butt.
鈥淚 am an artist, so the walls are filled with my work and that of fellow artists I admire,鈥� she says.
Kowalyk鈥檚 studio has paintings on the go as well, beadwork to be turned into jewelry and paper mach茅 sculptures of houses and 鈥渃hickens with attitudes,鈥� which she has returned to making in recent days.
It鈥檚 no surprise that so many of her paper mach茅 art pieces are of homes, since Kowalyk 鈥渓oves houses鈥� and calls herself a nester by nature.
Everywhere you look in the home there are art pieces and little dioramas that Kowalyk has created. In the sunroom, for instance, she has combined a beloved sailor doll once owned by her father鈥檚 great aunt with heart-shaped and circular stones.
At the entrance to their bright kitchen, with open shelves full of bold-coloured Fiesta ware, there are two art pieces on each side with memorable back stories. One is a marionette-type figure called The Birdwatcher that Kowalyk purchased in Mahone Bay, NB, 40 years ago, before the internet made finding artists easy.
She knew about its artist, Kate Bird, and managed to find her 鈥渕odest little house鈥� and bought the Birdwatcher, which was adorning the artist鈥檚 mantle at the time.
The other piece at the kitchen entrance is an Indian magic basket, a quilted art piece that was rescued from Christ Church Cathedral in New Zealand after a devastating earthquake in 2011.
Kowalyk had just visited a friend, who was the artist in residence there, 10 days prior to the earthquake. Her friend was standing at an upper-storey window when the quake struck and plummeted to the basement. Luckily, she survived, as did the artwork now adorning Kowalyk鈥檚 wall.
鈥淓verything has a story,鈥� says Kowalyk.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has stopped the couple from travelling overseas, Kowalyk has found some of her more recent 鈥渕ust have鈥� pieces by visiting local auctions.
鈥淚 love the hunt and having new treasures,鈥� she says.
