Godfrey Stephens
Multi-talented artist in British Columbia
Once again, this is very long (can’t help myself!) and some emails will not include all of it. Click on the headline to open it up in your browser.
In 1964, I had driven my 40 hp Volkswagen bus to Puerto Vallarta (through the river, before the bridge was built). From there, we took a speedboat to the town of Yelapa, reachable only by sea. Upon disembarking on the beach, we met a young bearded Canadian with a sparkle in his eyes, carving a head out of rosewood with an adze.
A native of Vancouver Island, Godfrey Stephens, then 24 years old, was exploring the world and painting and carving wherever he went. He was a mass of kinetic energy. We hit it off.
We stayed for several nights in our sleeping bags in Godfrey’s hillside palapa (which he rented for $5 a month), and when we headed home, he came with us and stayed for several weeks at our Mill Valley home.
Godfrey was a 100% total classic artist. He was a bohemian gypsy, a beatnik; he preceded the hippies. He was curious, observant, open to everything that crossed his path, always focused on the ever-changing visual word around him, constantly carving, drawing, and painting.
Flash forward to the ‘70s, when we reconnected. By then, I had started publishing books on building and Godfrey kept telling me I should come and see the builders on and around Vancouver Island.
Flash forward once again to early 2005. I had started working on a book titled Builders, and I had documented builders in the Green Mountains of Vermont, as well as a builder in Telluride, Colorado.
When I followed Godfrey’s advice and went up to British Columbia and saw the builders up there, I realized I could do a complete book on them. The result was Builders of the Pacific Coast, which I consider in many ways, to be the best of all my building books.
I spent a lot of time with Godfrey and his friend Bruno Atkey on numerous trips to British Columbia, and got a chance to see Godfrey’s art (carvings, paintings, drawings) firsthand.
Without further ado, here are examples of Godfrey’s art. Both Bruno and I think he’s a world-class, yet largely unrecognized artist. To read more about him, see pp. 100-109 of Builders of the Pacific Coast.
His website: https://www.godfreysart.com/
The only book (now difficult to find), by his niece Gurdeep Stevens is Wood-Storms-Wild-Canvas.
Following is selection of Godfrey’s drawings and paintings.
I never really knew Godfrey, but growing up on one of the islands in the Salish Sea, I knew several of his boats. Many of his paintings hung in neighbors cabins. At age seven, I caught my first fish off "Pookmis", a cute little sailboat built by Godfrey.
Fantastic! I've been to Yelepa. Still a lovely place, as of about ten years ago. The burros still come to the dock to carry suitcases to your place. Old lady still slapping hand-made blue-corn tortillas in the back of the restaurant. Loved it there. You are so rich in friends, Lloyd.