Interview: Johnny Crisp
Canadian artists Catherine King and Wayne Adams live on a floating island that they built just off the coast of Vancouver Island. We talked to them about their off-the-grid fortress.
How did you come to live on this island?
We moved to Freedom Cove in 1992. We had been living in Tofino for two years. As we’re both wildlife artists inspired by nature, we knew that we wanted to live out in the wilderness. We chose a floating home because it would allow us to be in nature without interfering with it.
We had a friend with a cabin in Cypress Bay, and we stayed there in the summer of 1991. It was then that we found Freedom Cove. It had great protection and a good water supply (a cascade from an old lake), and we chose it as the destination for our floating home. We built most of the house on the beach near the cabin after a storm blew in all the wood we needed to build it! In February 1992, we towed the house over to the cove and began our new life there.
Was it tricky to build a new home from scratch?
It was, and it’s still a challenge. We have created everything ourselves. Everything has been built from scratch with a handsaw and a hammer. When we first moved out here we gave away a lot of things: appliances, books, clothes… We hired a friend with a tug boat to bring the rest of our belongings out. It took us about three months to build the initial house.
How does it stay afloat?
Originally we had a spruce log under there, but now the house floats on nothing but armoured Styrofoam blocks.
What is your favourite part of the house?
My favourite is our upstairs area. We have a large space up there for me to dance, play music, paint, do Tai chi, Yoga, Feldenkrais, meditation and writing. I also like our sleeping area. Wayne’s favourite part is the downstairs living room, around the fireplace.
How do you spend your time on the island?
In the morning, we get our chores done, keeping the house in order, making bread, preparing and harvesting food. Wayne gets the power system going — solar, if the sun allows; generator, for the grey days. In spring and summer time there’s non-stop work for me in the garden. Wayne is the maintenance man. Repairs are an inevitable and continuous part of this lifestyle, as is the search for firewood. We have to comb the beach for wood, buck it up, chop it and stack it. When winter comes around, we get to do our artwork. We both carve. I paint, write and play music, and dance. Wayne is a master carver and does feather work, and he always has a building project on the go.
What’s the best moment of the day?
In the summer, the best moment is after I have finished garden work just before it is time to make dinner. I like to sit in the garden with a cup of herbal tea and take in what I have done. Wayne usually joins me as well, so we both enjoy that time. In the winter, I love going out for a paddle just before dinner time.
What’s the best thing about living like you do?
The best part is that we march to the beat of our own drum. We can create our home exactly as we want it to be. We also have peace and quiet and beautiful nature all around us. We don’t have an alarm clock; we wake to the light, which is lovely. The air is fresh; the water is good… We are both healthy from living how we live. Our lifestyle is naturally a physical one and, since I grow all our own vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs, and edible flowers, we eat fresh and organic. Wayne goes fishing, too, and you can’t get fish any fresher.
Do you ever get lonely?
We don’t get lonely, but we do miss our family and friends at times. They all come to visit us, but mostly in the good weather time of the year. We also have a lot of tours coming in from June to September that give us a social life. People are blown away when they see what we have created. We love having visitors come, as we want to inspire them to follow their own dreams.