In December, as she laid dying in hospice in Kamloops, Faye Weiss had an important request of her family who sat with her: finish the painting she started of Mt. Begbie, and give it to her niece.
Weiss, 72, had started the painting 40 years ago. Having grown up in Revelstoke, she was familiar with the mountain range, and always appreciated its beauty. In 1983, inspired by a placemat that she found in a souvenir shop nearby, Weiss began her painting.
First, she carved the iconic range horizontally across the canvas. Adding splashes of white, blue, gray and green, the painting took shape. There was a mountain, a sky, and an alpine forest — she had made good progress with the piece. Without intending to, at some point 40 years ago, she set down her brush and would never pick it up again to finish the painting.
After a six-year battle with lung cancer, Weiss took a turn for the worst in December. On her deathbed, she instructed her daughter’s partner, Stan Matwychuk, to complete the work she’d begun all those years ago, and give it to her niece, Sheila Lynde.
Neither a person nor a reason stopped Weiss from finishing the painting, but rather her busy life. In the years that followed, Weiss got married, adopted kids, and moved away. She never forgot the painting, and always kept it with her — intending to complete it someday.
Nicole Weiss talked about her mother as a someone who loved being an active member of the community and being outside, which she passed on to her daughters.
“We did some traveling and always were made to do activities and sports and stuff like that. And yeah, she gave us a great life and she was a great human,” said Nicole.
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Nicole remembers everything about her mom, but she doesn’t remember her painting. When Faye and her husband adopted Nicole and her sister, Nicole said that everything became “priority kids.” Some of the paintings that hung on the walls of the Weiss home were Faye’s, but all of them were before her kids were born.
When she was diagnosed, Nicole said her mom continued to maintain that she would finish the painting.
“She kept telling my dad, ‘Okay, I’m gonna finish this painting like this is gonna happen. I’m gonna give it to my cousin Sheila,’ and it just kind of always got put on the back-burner,” said Nicole.
Faye wanted her niece, Sheila Lynde, to get the painting, because she knew how much it meant to her.
“She kept talking about it — kept talking about ‘I really want to finish that Begbie painting for you. I just want you to have it because well, you know, we were both made Revelstoke,’” said Lynde.
Lynde – like Faye – was also born and raised in Revelstoke. She lives in Calgary now, but comes to Revelstoke frequently. When Lynde was younger, her aunt Faye had already moved away from Revelstoke, but she would often come visit her. Lynde fondly remembered enjoying her first ever coffee with her aunt at Sally Ann Bakery, which has since closed. Sometimes, Lynde would go and visit Faye in Kamloops and recalled seeing the painting.
“I just remember as a kid seeing it in their basement on the easel and just loving it,” said Lynde.
Nicole and her partner, Stan Matwychuk, were at the hospice when Faye died, which was when she “voluntold” Matwychuk to finish the painting.
“I was a little bit taken aback by it. Flattered, of course, and also a little terrified,” said Matwychuk.
Matwychuk is an artist with an extensive resumé. While he’s adept at nearly every artistic endeavour that involves paint, Matwychuk’s passion is for mural artwork, which he’s made a career of. His career painting murals has given Matwychuk a lot of experience, but painting landscape was still a test for him. From his studio in Squamish, Homebase Studio, Matwychuk took on the tall task of finishing Faye’s work.
After her passing, Matwychuk said he went into “autopilot,” kept his head down, consulted the old placemat, and proceeded to paint.
Matwychuk spoke about the challenges that came with finishing Faye’s painting. First, he had to fix up 40 years worth of wear and tear. Next, he had to work with all new custom paints to match the colours. Matwychuk had little control over the piece, which fed the pressure he felt of trying to ensure that he did the piece justice.
In the end, it was a bittersweet relief for him, but the family was thrilled with the results.
Nicole particularly enjoyed getting to see the painting progress.
“It was pretty cool to actually get to see the start to finish. And the finish was incredible,” said Nicole.
As the painting now rests in Calgary, waiting to be framed, Lynde has already eyed a spot on her wall for it.
“It will sit exactly where everyone will be able to see it as soon as they come in the front door,” said Lynde.
Whether she’s looking at a picture, the real mountain, or her aunt’s painting, Lynde always feels the same.
“I just feel centered. I feel like I’m at peace – at home – now.”
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@ZacharyDelaney
zach.delaney@revelstokereview.com
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