Photographer’s eye-catching installation reflects raw beauty of the Campbell River
Published 1:08 pm Thursday, October 22, 2026
A scenic shot of the Campbell River is permanently on display on 11th Avenue.
Photographer John Westergard took the photo, showing sunlight silhouetting a tree and rocks while dancing off rippling currents.
Westergard fastened it to a brick wall across from the Campbell River Community Centre on Oct. 17. It’s right next to Alex Whitcombe’s dreamscape mural representing the very heart of creative inspiration. That mural, which was unveiled nearly nine years ago (Nov. 14, 2017), includes images from many professional and amateur photographers.
Fast forward to the present, and Westergard said his most recent contribution to Campbell River’s downtown beautification is a raw photo with no filters.
The photo originally caught the eye of Campbell River Downtown Business Improvement Association (BIA) executive director Jan Wade when she visited Westergard’s studio.
“He had that picture lined up against a wall in glass,” Wade said. “And I fell in love. That’s the only way I can put it. I fell in love.”
Wade said she received permission from Dawn MacLean, the owner of this property, to put the piece up on the wall.
Reflecting on the photo, Westergard said, “So I shot it one morning and then Jan from the BIA saw it and some other members saw it and it came up in one of their meetings. And what they wanted to do was put a Haig-Brown saying in the corner of it.”
The excerpt, from naturist and author Roderick Haig-Brown’s ‘A River Never Sleeps’ book reads: “A river is water in its loveliest form; Rivers have life and sound and movement and infinity of variation, rivers are veins of the earth through which the lifeblood returns to the heart”
Westergard said, “They wanted to do a piece to help beautify (the area). So they came to me about using the image and putting a Haig-Brown quote in the corner. And I said ‘No problem.’ And then I printed it on sign board.”
The piece was installed Saturday and is made up of three 5’ by 8’ panel Dibond sheets.
“So it is eight feet high and 12 feet wide,” Westergard said.