Two Trees Art Studio & Gallery is the home of award-winning landscape & wildlife photographer Dave Hutchison, and his wife nature inspired mixed fine art painter, Kelly Hutchison (previously Kiss). They consider themselves to be dendrophiles (someone who loves trees and forests) and feel the trees brought them together on the Spring Day when they first met in North Saanich at ȽÁU, WELṈEW̱/John Dean Provincial Park, Vancouver Island. Thus, the name "Two Trees".
Dave's collection of images from the Pacific Northwest and beyond, spans over 20 years and includes birds, bears, whales, landscapes, forests, floral, waterfalls and more. Nature is Kelly's muse and her art reflects the joy, comfort and peace that nature gifts her when she takes time to slow down, be present and notice the little things.
Dave and Kelly spending time on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, photographing and gathering inspiration.
With nearly twenty years of photography experience, Dave has over 100 images published in books, magazines and calendars around the globe. He is continuously inspired by both landscape and wildlife photography and has photographed across Western Canada, the US, and parts of Europe. Some of Dave’s recent permanent art installations (2023) include the Sidney Waterfront Inn & Suites Hotel and the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, on Vancouver Island.
Dave is also passionate about preserving old growth forests and works to increase public awareness through his nature photography. He feels blessed to live in this majestic landscape and through his images aspires to bring nature into people’s homes, so they can experience places they cannot get to, or perhaps would be inspired to visit.
In the Spring of 2022 Dave earned his Craftsman of Photographic Arts with PPOC, and in 2020 won the prestigious “Best in Class” Award in Fine Art at the 2020 Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) National Image Competition. He also has an Advanced Operations Drone Pilot License, which has helped him employ drone photography into his work. Dave lived in Sidney, BC for twenty-one years. He now resides with his wife and daughter on Salt Spring Island, in the beautiful Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada.
For nearly nine years, Kelly has made her home on Salt Spring Island. She graduated from the Fine Arts program at Langara College in Vancouver, BC in 2001 and completed the Mastery program through the Milan Art Institute in June 2022. Kelly is a tree lover, advocate for ancient forests and also an ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide. When not painting or writing, she has an active forest therapy practice through her business Salish Sea Nature Connections. Kelly's creative process begins with spending time in nature forest bathing—walking slowly outdoors, sitting by the ocean, or in the trees and immersing all of her senses in the natural world. Nature inspires her artwork and it was through the active practice of forest bathing, that Kelly's art was reignited after an extended hiatus.
Kelly has been told by many that her art "tugs at their heart strings and makes them feel happy, uplifted and alive." She loves bright, cheerful colours and enjoys experimenting with layers by incorporating many mediums into her artwork: Caran d’Ache (water soluble pastel), collage, pen, ink, graphite, acrylic, spray paint and oil paints. She also loves to collect unique papers for the collage layers. Kelly's favourite part of her process is completing the finer details and accentuating the colour with oil paint. She loves the vibrancy this creates and feels like the painting really comes to life!