Goolita Wadia-Shave’s life didn’t start until she was 35 years old.
The Saanich resident was working for the government for several years, but it wasn’t until Wadia-Shave started creating works of art that she realized she was meant to do other things with her life.
At 35, she enrolled at the University of Victoria and got her degree in fine arts.
“It was something that just kept speaking to me until I finally had to go and do that,” she said, adding she did architectural renderings prior to going to school.
“I knew it was something I wanted to do, but you had to validate going to school for art. I felt like I had to fulfill this part of my life because it is a passion.”
Wadia-Shave’s work is acrylic, impressionistic, realism and features her first love — architecture, a passion she adopted from her father who was an architect.
Most of her art highlights architectural gems in old Quebec City and many in Victoria such as the Old English Sweet Shop on Yates, which is now a condo, and Trounce Alley.
“It’s just the quaintness. Now we’re getting a lot of modern buildings. But what I love are the old sections where it’s just two storeys high,” Wadia-Shave said. “There’s such a charm to it. It makes people look at their own environment.”
Now, close to retirement, she hopes to focus on her artwork.
Wadia-Shave’s work, along with a number of other local artists, will be on display during the inaugural art exhibit and fundraiser at Parkwood Place next month. The event includes a silent auction, in which proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C.
“Art is a form of expression no matter how old you are. I realize how important it is to many seniors,” said Kathy Ajas, lifestyle consultant with Parkwood Place.
Patrick Estey, director of resource development with the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C., said the funds will be used to ensure that critical support services and education continue to be available, including the first link program in Victoria.
For Wadia-Shave, the cause is close to her heart. Her husband’s father suffered from Alzheimer’s.
The art exhibit is on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.