B.C. artists' eclectic collaborations inspire unexpected love story

SAANICH, B.C. -

Timothy Wilson Hoey never expected to move out to the country, let alone befriend his new next-door neighbour, a goat named Kevin.

“I don’t want Mister Fluffy,” Timothy smiles before offering the goat a head of lettuce. “Kevin is a sensible name for a goat.”

The first thing Timothy did in his new house was construct a wall of old things in his living room.

“It’s an old man museum,” Timothy smiles, adding that the countless quirky and Canadian artifacts are a collection of stories from his family’s past, and his friends’.

“In a funny way, I’m a custodian of all these things,” Timothy says.

After constructing shelves out of old barn wood to display the collection, Timothy set-up a new art studio to create all sorts of paintings, including his "O Canada" series featuring iconic items ranging from canoes to maple syrup cans to Hawkins Cheezies bags, all framed with old hockey sticks.

“I don’t know everything about Canada,” Timothy laughs. “But I try.”

It was while trying to create this new life for himself, after ending a long-time marriage, that Timothy happened to meet fellow artist Zandra Xochitl, who was going through something similar.

“It was like, wow I can be very real with this person,” Zandra recalls of connecting with Timothy at the art gallery they both show at. “I think we can be really good friends.”

The friendship deepened quickly —thanks to authentic conversations about life and art — before one of them suggested they swap canvases and start collaborating on each other’s work.

The thing was, their styles couldn’t be more different; Zandra creates abstracts and Timothy paints figuratively.

“It felt like a real truth moment,” Zandra says. “Because you’re giving someone something you made and (they could) potentially destroy it.”

Like opening your heart to someone, there’s the risk you’ll get hurt, but also a chance you’ll be healed.

“It’s almost like couples counselling with seeing anybody,” Zandra says. “We’re working on this thing together and we’re solving it.”

And rather than wrecking each other’s work, or compromising themselves, Zandra and Timothy began co-creating something completely new. Now they are preparing to display their collaborations, for 40,000 visitors at the 35th annual Art Gallery of Greater Victoria Paint-In.

“For both of us, it’s been a really freeing way to way to create work,” Timothy says. “And we’ve been lucky that people have liked it.”

“It‘s bonkers,” Zandra says. “It kind of feels like magic sometimes.”

It kind of feels like falling in love, which Zandra and Timothy eventually did. Kevin the goat seemed to approve, by jumping up to greet Zandra when they first met, not that it would have mattered if he didn’t.

“You’re great, (Kevin),” Timothy laughs when asked if the goat’s approval was a deal-breaker for his relationship with Zandra. “But you’re the olive, not the martini!”

The couple are currently collaborating on a painting of Kevin. When it’s complete, it will be displayed somewhere different than that museum wall honouring the past, because Zandra and Timothy are focused celebrating their present together.

“If something bad happens in your life, rather than anger or sadness, try to focus on something new,” Timothy says. “There’s a real joy in finding something new.”