Owners of Bumblebee Bight Inn & Brewery encourage Newfoundlanders to flex their artistic muscles with the Sketch Across Canada campaign
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For Natalie Colbourne, a come from away that has wholeheartedly embraced everything Newfoundland and Labrador has to offer, the wide-eyed wonder of her new home-away-from-home provides the perfect backdrop for inspiration.
Green Bay South
It should come as no surprise then that Colbourne and husband Deno – a native of Springdale – are making the most of an opportunity to turn both townie and bayman on to all that Green Bay South has to offer.
“If you’re going to be in Newfoundland, I don’t understand why people move back to be in a suburb. You need to be near the water,” Colbourne begins.
“If you’re in Newfoundland, it’s all about the power of water. Being rural is so awesome. I’m done with cities. There’s something magical … I can’t tell you what it is about Newfoundland because I’m not a Newfoundlander, but I might have been in my last lifetime.”
Natalie and Deno are the proud proprietors of Bumblebee Bight Inn & Brewery on Pilley’s Island, tapping into the ever-growing attraction of craft beers across the province, while also paying homage to the untapped potential of the Green Bay area.
And while the always industrious Natalie keeps her finger on the pulse of consumer satisfaction and trends in the marketplace, her latest initiative checks off all the boxes for encouraging patrons to embrace the beauty of this place, and the creativity that can be stretched in these pandemic days.
Sketch initiative
Enter Bateman’s Sketch Across Canada initiative a nationwide project by the Bateman Foundation that will see 33,000 free sketchbooks distributed across the country. The goal is simple: to see Canadians take in the majesty of the Great White North’s pristine outdoors, and in the words of Bateman Foundation founder Robert Bateman, “become bright-eyed three-year-olds again.”
“Sketching and drawing and artistry is sort of part of my passion, too,” shared Colbourne. “It combines all of it together. There’s always connections in everything that we do. We just have to see the connections that make sense,” she said.
Potential artists
“Robert Bateman is of course famous. I thought, well, this is perfect for Newfoundland because that’s what we love about Newfoundland the most,” Colbourne adds of her decision to make Bumblebee Bight a hub for the Sketch Across Canada campaign.
“You go down a dirt road and there’s something always there on whatever road you’re going to.”
Potential artists are encouraged to visit designated pickup locations across Canada – including Bumblebee Bight – to collect a free sketchbook, sharing finished artwork on social media with the hashtag #mynaturesketch.
The Colbourne’s hope to make Bumblebee Bight a hub for tourism in the Green Bay South area, with the Sketch Across Canada campaign serving as a catalyst for nature enthusiasts and avid or amateur artists to get out and experience everything this province has to offer.
“It’s kind of like open mic night,” Colbourne remarks. “If you just have the kahunas to just get out there and do it, you might be amazed at what you can draw or what you can tell a story from. They’re tiny little things that just kind of inspire an idea. It’s just the spark of your imagination and to give you something to do that doesn’t cost you anything to do it,” she adds.
‘Get out & do it’
“It’s so healthy. Sketch while you’re walking in the middle of the forest. How important is that for your brain to turn off electricity and turn off the phone ringing and kids screaming at you or whatever, or take your kids out and let them run around like they’re crazy animals instead of being in the house cooped up. Get out and do it.”
For more information on the Sketch Across Canada campaign visit batemanfoundation.org and for all things Bumblebee Bight Inn and Brewery visit Bumblebee Bight Inn & Brewery Co. on Facebook.