Over the past few years, Campbell River has been dotted with extraordinary public sculptures made of driftwood. The first of these was Sheila the Velociraptor, which mysteriously appeared on Stories Beach in 2016.
They are the creations of local artist Alex Witcombe and his company Drifted Creations. He has a studio across Discovery Passage on Quadra Island.
That first sculpture is remarkable, but it is relatively primitive compared to the work that would come over the following near decade — both in terms of his public art and wall reliefs, which you can purchase directly.
Image cropped from Cougar by Alex Witcombe by David Stanley under CC BY 2.0.
Alex Witcombe
Although the focus of Witcombe’s work is now driftwood sculpture, it wasn’t a plan. His first sculpture (Sheila) was done to impress a dinosaur-loving woman he was dating. He said, “It got a lot of social media exposure and I was just like, ‘Woah!’ I should probably do some more.”
He has a BFA from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver.
Witcombe has experience in a variety of media, including creating murals for local businesses. He continues to create murals, and you can see examples at The River Nook. He’s even written and illustrated children’s books.
Witcombe’s Process
The process of building these sculptures is pretty simply — in theory. Witcombe told Hakai Magazine that he starts with an idea and a reference photo before heading to the beach to look for materials.
“About 70 percent of my time goes into collecting wood — I use hundreds of pieces for the big sculptures, which I usually build in one go in a few hours.”
Witcombe’s approach to his work advanced rapidly. In 2017, he told Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine that he had gotten picky about what he uses in his sculptures. “Now there’s only certain woods I like to use such as fir, cedar, and hardwoods.”
Kate Brown interviewed him around the same time (see video above). “When you get into doing the bigger stuff that needs a lot, you can search the whole beach and only like ten percent of it is usable,” he said. “I really like the curvey, chunky, grotesque looking pieces that have a lot of character.”
To get an idea of how he works, check out this time lapse video of Witcombe creating Elizabeth the Alien. It was located on Florencia Bay on the west side of the island near Tofino. It is no longer there but see below for current installations.
The people of Campbell River have been phenomenal in their support of this art and I hear regular comments of how it brightens their day to see these sculptures on the beach.
— Alex Witcombe
Seeing Alex Witcombe’s Work
Sheila is gone but you can visit and view Witcombe’s work all over the area. Here is a list of some of it along with map links to help you find each.
Juvenile Humpback Whale
This 8-meter sculpture is roughly the actual size of a juvenile humpback and weights over two tons.
You can see it in Campbell River near the Ken Forde boat ramp in Willow Point. It was commissioned to encourage tourism — especially whale watching. 🧭Location: Ken Forde Park
It’s a giant puzzle that doesn’t really have a clear picture of how to put it together. You just have to read the wood…
— Alex Witcombe
Bruce on Spruce
This black bear sculpture has been on public display since 2021. You can find it near the river at the end of Spruce Street in Campbell River. See an image of Bruce in the gallery below. 🧭Location: Spruce St & 19 Ave
Sarah the Herrerasaurus
After Sheila the Velociraptor was destroyed by vandals in 2020, a GoFundMe campaign raised $2,449 from 95 people. Sarah was the result. You can view her on the Willow Point Seawalk. 🧭Location: Willow Point Seawalk
Peabody the Raccoon
While visiting Sarah, check out this older sculpture at the end of the Seawalk in Rotary Beach Park. Peabody the Raccoon can be seen in the gallery below.🧭Location: Willow Point Seawalk End
Salmon and Bear
The River Nook in Campbell River is home to male and female driftwood spawning Chinook salmon and Quinnie the Black Bear Cub. You can also see a salmon-themed mural (also by Witcombe). It can be found near the river at 1985 19th Avenue.
The Black Bear Cub is pictured in the gallery below.
🧭Location: The River Nook
Scirocco the Unicorn
This sculpture at the Robron Centre is unusual in that it was built collectively with students in various programs at the centre. 🧭 Location: Robron Centre
Mayhew the Sasquatch
Bigfoot fans can see this enormous sculpture at the end of Rebecca Spit Road in the Marine Provincial Park on Quadra Island. The gallery below features an image of Mayhew.
🧭 Location: Rebecca Spit Marine Provincial Park
Fergus the Fox
Fergus has mostly been on the trail near the Discover Campbell River Tourism Info Centre since 2017.
He was once stolen. But support from the local community got him anonymously returned. Witcombe said, “He was a little worse for wear — one of his ears had fallen off — but he’s been rehabilitated.”
🧭 Location: Campbell River Visitor Centre
Edward the VW Beetle
Although most of Witcombe’s work is natural in its subject, he has created some other remarkable work. One of the most impressive is this VW Beetle, which is on display at Black Creek Motors about 30 km south of Campbell River at 8256 N Island Hwy in (unsurprisingly) Black Creek.
It’s doors even open! CTV News has a good article on the piece. See the photo below for an interior image of Edward. 🧭 Location: 8256 N Island Hwy
Driftwood VW Bus
One of the highlights of a stay at Hotel Zed in Tofino is this interactive installation, which even includes a driftwood motor! Witcombe also created one of the Hotel Zed signs. 🧭 Location: Hotel Zed
There is much more of Witcombe’s work to see in the area and he is always creating more. Let us know about any of his installations that you come upon!
Summary
Alex Witcombe is very connected to the community. He told Hakai Magazine
I love giving back to the community and adding enjoyment to people’s lives. My most memorable experience was when Fergus the Fox was stolen from his home along a walking trail. The local radio station and newspaper covered his disappearance, and the tourism office put missing posters all over the city. It morphed into a large community affair, and it was really neat to see how many people were enjoying Fergus and were worried about him. Eventually, he was returned to the parking lot of the park.
— Alex Witcombe
Alex Witcombe adds greatly to the life of Campbell River and beyond with his public art. That’s true if you just happen upon it or your make a day of searching out these pieces. We know you’ll be impressed!
Image Gallery
All the following are current installations. The photos are from Drifted Creations. Used by permission.
Big thanks to Alex for letting us use the photos from his website, and for creating such wonderful public sculptures for everyone to enjoy.