A place as eclectic and beautiful as Cowichan can’t help but attract an equally diverse mélange of artisans. The region is home to many highly talented painters, potters, sculptors, weavers, jewellers, glass blowers, knitters and carvers whose works can be seen in home studios and galleries all along the Cowichan corridor.
Most notably, internationally acclaimed landscape painter E.J. Hughes lived in many parts of the region for over 50 years, and many of his celebrated works showcase Cowichan vignettes and vistas. For paintings on a very big scale, be sure to spend some time in the town of Chemainus, where you’ll be treated to its famous assortment of large-scale murals. With no pun intended, theatre plays a big part here, as does music, particularly in the summer, with the three-day long Islands Folk Festival and the free “39 Days of July.” And you don’t have to be a country music fan to enjoy Sunfest, an electrifying four-day event in late July and the largest country music festival in western Canada.
