Richard Picton Thomas

Sword fern and willow blanket

Like a wolf I slept

A wet morning dew

A red and gold rising sun

Slapped me in the face

I rise from my den

Stretch, yawn and rub my cold eyes

A new day is here

~ Rick Thomas

Richard Picton Thomas was born in Cardiff, Wales, in May 1944, as bombs fell over the city. In 1953, his family immigrated to Canada, eventually settling in Victoria, B.C., where the beaches, trees, and light caught his attention and shaped his life and work.

Educated in Victoria and graduating from Vic High, Richard went on to study at the Vancouver School of Art. In 1969, while working at Woodward’s, he met his wife Wendy. They soon moved to the Island, where they built a wonderfully bohemian life full of music, dance, and art in a little house by the beach, with a trusty 1963 Volkswagen van for adventuring and Sinja in the front seat.

Rick's artistic career spanned a remarkable range of mediums: fine and commercial arts, stage design, illustration, sculpture, and cartography. For over two decades, he worked as a Scientific Technical Officer with the Province of British Columbia, mapping ecosystems, illustrating wildlife, and leaving a visual legacy in government buildings, publications, and conservation programs. Many will remember his “Wild Eyes” drawing.

Beyond government work, he designed and built theatre sets for the Victoria Operatic Society and Langham Court Theatre; created magazine illustrations like the very first cover of Monday Magazine; and produced branding and design projects, murals, and conceptual displays. Many will remember Eaton’s iconic “Stormfront” window. Some of his more provocative works became infamous in Victoria: the Eaton’s display “Caution: Women at Work” and the rock mural at Gonzales Beach. Later, he turned to salvaged cardboard, transforming found materials into massive living room installations that became backdrops for countless open houses and a residency at Xchanges Art Studios.

He sketched daily. For Rick, art was never just a career. It was a way of life.

A self-proclaimed vagabond, retirement saw Richard divide his time between the West Coast, until the grey skies and rains arrived each winter, when he would escape, often in his Jeep “Silver Bullet” or fly for months abroad in Thailand, the Philippines, Mexico, and Europe. Always curious, he collected stories, friendships, and inspiration. Paris was the love of his life. He also wrote and published books: A Dead Artist Can Make a Good Living, The Monkey with the Golden Arm, and Laughing Dog, among others.

Richard cherished his circle of friends that are as wide and eclectic as his art, including the Victoria Operatic Society, Langham Court Theatre, his days at the YM/YWCA, the “old gang” from his department store display days at The Bay, Eaton’s, and Woodward’s, the art community, his government colleagues at the Wildlife and Fisheries Branch, and the many fellow travelers and café companions who became family along the way. He was very proud of his daughter Kim and one of their last conversations was about art and her play while looking at pictures of rehearsals.

Rick had a very dry sense of humour, often described as cheeky, his curiosity was boundless, and his art remains a lasting gift to all who knew him.

He is survived by his daughter Kim, his sister Gillian, his nieces and nephews, and a large community of friends and collaborators. He was predeceased by his parents, Leslie and Bella, and his siblings Vivian, Joan, Margaret, and Michael.

A celebration for Rick will be held at a later date.