As the opening ceremonies for the 2025 Canada Games started, Caroline Clarke stood in the middle of a parade of athletes, holding a pen and her sketchbook, as hundreds crowded around and past her, walking into the Mary Brown’s Centre in downtown St. John’s.
“I thought it would be a really overwhelming experience. I thought I’d be totally self-conscious, being surrounded by people … but it was one of those moments I totally lost myself in my art,” said Clarke.
“It was just one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.”
Days earlier, at the rehearsal for the opening ceremony, Clarke had lugged 20 pounds of art materials inside, but quickly ditched most of that, sticking to the basics: a pen, a couple of pencils, a brush and a few watercolours.
