Barbara Weaver-Bosson

Barbara Weaver-Bosson is an artist whose paintings document the architectural character of Victoria, British Columbia. Since 1978, her paintings have illustrated Canada’s West Coast urban landscape as it changes. In numerous works of art, she has created a visual and residential history of the area.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Weaver-Bosson graduated in 1974 with a Diploma in Applied Arts from what was then called the Alberta College of Art. In 1975, after a year working as an illustrator and layout artist in a Calgary advertising agency, Weaver-Bosson moved to Victoria. In the 1980s, she studied Architectural Rendering and Perspectives through Camosun College in Victoria. She also worked at Island Blue Print for ten years, until 1986.

Weaver-Bosson’s first solo exhibition was in 1978. ″Where the Sky, Earth and Water Meet″ showed at The Emily Carr Art Centre. Since the mid 1980s, she has received numerous commissions from clients in the Lower Mainland area.

Neighbourhood series paintings

In 1980, after moving to close-knit the Moss Rock area of Victoria’s Fairfield neighbourhood, Weaver-Bosson’s painting approach changed. The Neighbourhood series reveals colourful rooftop vistas, character homes on tree-lined streets, harbour views and coastal images. By 1993, her limited edition print series contained twenty two prints.

In 1991, Weaver-Bosson’s ″Two Neighbourhoods″ exhibition opened at Winchester Gallery in Victoria, where the then Mayor of Victoria, David Turner, welcomed a Friendship Delegation from Morioka, Japan.

Cultural exchange with Morioka, Japan

Weaver-Bosson’s numerous trips to Victoria’s sister city of Morioka built an artistic and cultural exchange. In 1987, Weaver-Bosson presented Morioka with a gift of her original art. In 1989, Weaver-Bosson returned to Japan to install her first international exhibition, ″The Bridge″, along with artist Victor Bosson. In May 2015, on the thirtieth anniversary of twinning with Victoria, Mayor Lisa Helps selected Weaver-Bosson's artwork for another gift to a new delegation from Morioka.

As a long-time member of the Island Illustrators Society, Weaver-Bosson has given many talks and other events for this and for many other groups.

In addition, she has organized the Fairfield Artists Studio Tour for many years.