Qualicum Beach art exhibit asks ‘What Would Hockney Do?’
Published 11:30 am Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Sylvie Peltier loved the work of celebrated British artist David Hockney before she even knew who he was.
She had a poster of his painting ‘Mount Fuji and Flowers’ and a postcard of ‘Pearblossom Highway’ photo collage on her wall.
“They all look so different, I didn’t think they were all from the same artist,” Peltier said.
“And then I realized ‘oh, look at that, I’m a David Hockney fan’.”
Peltier recently decided to go on a “deep dive” of Hockney’s work and the result is her exhibition What Would Hockney Do? currently on display at the Old School House Arts Centre in Qualicum Beach, until March 7.
David Hockney, now 88 years old, painted some of the most influential works of the 20th century, after receiving the Gold Medal from London’s Royal College of Art. He became known for his vividly colourful paintings and has worked in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, collage and photography.
“I decided to kind of see well what can I learn from him – how can he inspire me,” Peltier said.
She appreciates that Hockney seems to paint what he likes, rather than to recreate a painting that sold for a lot of money.
Peltier also took inspiration from the fact that Hockney created a series of dozens of loving paintings of his two dachshunds. Hockney, a gay man, did this after losing numerous friends during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, as a way of dealing with his grief.
“It was kind of interesting because who cares about his dogs, in a way, right? But he painted what he loved and he painted what brought him some kind of respite,” she said.
Peltier decided to paint what was around her and brought her joy, which happened to be the many rabbits hopping around Qualicum Beach, and she completed a series of them for the exhibition.
Although many painters shy away from bright colours, Hockney never did, and Peltier does not either.
“It’s not like I paint like him. I paint like I want, but I like the way he paints a lot. He does give me ideas of some ways I might do things,” she said. “He enjoys the process. The finished painting is important, but the doing is just as important.”
Peltier studied film and television at UBC and in 1996 founded Red Letter Films, a television documentary production company. She started painting about 12 years ago and in 2023 she moved to Qualicum Beach, where she teaches out of her art studio.
Visitors to her exhibit can enter for a chance to win one of her paintings if they write down which two pieces are their favourite.
A special celebration of the exhibitions is planned for Feb. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m., at TOSH (122 Fern Rd. West) in Qualicum Beach.
She encourages people to contact her through her website at sylviepeltier.com.
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