James Lindsay rented his Chinatown studio for $150 a month back in 1981, at a time when lofts in the neighbourhood were big on charm but short on comfort.
Wind whistled through the doors and windows of his place above Fan Tan Caf茅鈥� a big, drafty spot with no source of heat 鈥� and by 1991 the four-storey building which housed him was pretty much derelict. 鈥淚 could have been evicted for not adhering to fire codes on many occasions,鈥� he said of the studio, which was heated by wood stove at the outset of his tenancy.
Lindsay, 75, managed to thrive amid the environs of 549 1/2 Fisgard St., despite the often extreme conditions. 鈥淚鈥檝e been fortunate in that no tragedies have taken place.鈥�
The product of Carfin, Scotland, is vacating his beloved spot at the end of the month, in favour of a two-bedroom condo in Nanaimo with his wife, Emilie. It could be Nanaimo or Nantucket, for all he cares. Anything other than his trusty artistic abode is going to feel foreign after nearly 40 years with the same postal code, Lindsay said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a big change, not being in the space. That has been my address since 1981.鈥�
He鈥檚 opening his studio to the public on Saturday and Sunday, for a sale and show. Lindsay, who will be in attendance from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, is selling works dating back to 1965, including 鈥渂igger pieces too difficult to move.鈥� Prices are reasonable. 鈥淓verything has to go,鈥� he said.
Lindsay never shied away from darkness in his art, nor challenging arenas in which to practice. Lindsay taught arts and crafts at William Head Institution, the federal penitentiary, from 1975 until 1979, and has always pushed the boundaries of convention. He titled one piece, from 2007, Political Landscape Death to America; a pair from 1992 were labelled Unhappy About the Environment #1 and #2.
His disposition hasn鈥檛 grown any sunnier of late. James jokingly calls himself 鈥渁 geriatric,鈥� one who can鈥檛 remember where he put his glasses or has to rely on his hearing aids for conversation. He鈥檚 quite practical about his current lot in life, however, even when the knotty reality of getting old interferes with his day-to-day activities.
鈥淗aving a background of 40 years in Chinatown, I think that will stay with me for a while, but eventually it will fade like everything else.鈥�
Marcus Pollard, who booked the former Harpo鈥檚 Cabaret, and owns several Lindsay originals, lived three doors down at 543 1/2 Fisgard St., for six years during the 1980s and 鈥�90s. He remembers being in awe of the artist 20 years his senior, six paintings from whom are in the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria鈥檚 permanent collection. 鈥淗e was kind of a rock star to us,鈥� Pollard said.
鈥淗e was an extremely cerebral artist, a quick-witted Scottish guy who didn鈥檛 give a f鈥�-. But he wasn鈥檛 a layabout or anything. He was working all the time. He and Luis Merino and those guys were the Victoria art scene, and Jim was at the top.鈥�
Merino, Laird Campbell, Bert Vandergugten, D鈥橝rcy Gould, Luis Ituarte, Casey Tebbutt 鈥� the list of painters and poets and photographers at one point associated with the Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley art scene of the 1980s is long and illustrious. Lindsay, who also dabbled in music and poetry, is one of the last members of that fraternity to have a studio in the area.
鈥淭here are some people from that era who are still around, but many have died,鈥� he said. 鈥淸Moving] seems like a depressing kind of event, but it鈥檚 a new beginning for me.鈥�
His departure leaves places such as the design house owned by JC Scott (who moved to Fan Tan Alley in 1979) and Heart鈥檚 Content boutique (est. 1987) as the resident old-school-artist types going forward. Lindsay is happy to move on, but knows in doing so that he鈥檚 leaving behind a city flooded with memories of friends and family, not all of which are positive.
His ex-wife, Kate Celis 鈥� they met at art school in Glasgow, Scotland 鈥� died in 2015. Their son, James, died three years prior, at the age of 38. Lindsay鈥檚 daughters, Anna and Catherine, are both based in 91原创, so his direct ties to the city are thinning, which played a part in his decision to leave.
His legacy 鈥� the one tied to 549 1/2 Fisgard St., in particular 鈥� will be in good hands, it would appear. Lindsay said local filmmakers Daniel Taggart-Hodge and Kristy Morgan are the new tenants in his studio, and have agreed 鈥渢o respect the history and heritage of the location.鈥�
They will also serve as curators of an exhibit of his work at Fortune Gallery (537 Fisgard St.) from Aug. 3-7, before the remainder of his unsold work is shipped up-island to Nanaimo, his home base for the unforseen future.
鈥淭ime moves on,鈥� he said.
