Paul Lewis describes himself as a multimedia artist who also loves to paint.

"IB次元官网网址檓 nowhere near Robert BatemanB次元官网网址檚 realistic wildlife and nature paintings but I know my stuff looks like a photograph. It's pretty good.B次元官网网址�

Seven years ago, he traded his canvas paint brushes for drills and screws creating art from driftwood B次元官网网址� his new favourite medium.  

Lewis stumbled upon  in 2018 while walking around Esquimalt Lagoon. There, he saw the B次元官网网址楳cGnarly the Beach EntB次元官网网址� sculpture by fellow artist Alex Witcombe. 

That chance encounter with McGnarly inspired him to create his very first sculpture using his brotherB次元官网网址檚 drill along with a big box of screws. An experience that taught him a couple of lessons in his newfound craft. 

"I made my first sculpture in March 2018 B次元官网网址� the bald eagle. I remember going down and collecting shells on the other end of Colwood waterfront because I had this big thing about shells, but for every single one that I drilled through, I must have snapped 10. It was just so frustrating ... everybody loved it, but it was garbage.B次元官网网址�  

He vowed never to use shells again.  

Lewis also learned to build his stuff on top of the highest king tide B次元官网网址� in the safe zone to protect his work from being destroyed by water, a lesson he learned from Witcombe. 

B次元官网网址淚 built the bald eagle down on the beach and the tide destroyed it. I was picking up pieces for over about a month."

His work has evolved since then. 

"I've learned over the years how to make my sculptures more lifelike and that's been a journey in itself.B次元官网网址� 

To date, heB次元官网网址檚 made over 200 pieces of driftwood sculptures, 16 of which are currently displayed along the waterfront: a raven and a baby, Canadian geese and babies, an eagle and a baby, a trumpeter swan, racoon and babies, Douglas squirrel, belted kingfisher, grey squirrel, barred owl and a snowy owl.

All of the animals he has created, with the exception of the five Sasquatches, are usually seen around the Esquimalt Lagoon.

He spends roughly three days creating each piece of art.

Out of all his creations, he cites the B次元官网网址楨aglesB次元官网网址� NestB次元官网网址� at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre down by the golf course as his favourite. 

"It's my son, Braedon's memorial piece. He passed away a couple of years ago. The baby eagle has my son's ashes in it. Mommy eagle, which represents Delaney, my ex, is on a big salmon in the nest. And Daddy eagle, he's got a 7-foot long wingspan and he's flying through the trees B次元官网网址� that represents me.B次元官网网址� 

Lewis says B次元官网网址楨aglesB次元官网网址� NestB次元官网网址� is a work in progress. HeB次元官网网址檚 adding two more eagles B次元官网网址� one for BraedonB次元官网网址檚 older brother, Jordan, and another one for his mother who helped raise his son when he was away. 

The 54-year-old award-winning artist says taking on driftwood sculpting has been a journey of transformation.

B次元官网网址淚t keeps me on the straight and narrow and it keeps me focused on good because I am in the public eye now, so I can't react like I used to and go off the hinges and just do something stupid. Plus, also I must protect what I've done down here so if I piss somebody off, guess what's gonna happen?B次元官网网址� 

Lewis intends to create as many pieces as he can this year, one of which will be a cougar perched atop a tree and gazing down at a mother black bear.

"I won't paint it, so it'll be brown, hanging onto a tree with three little babies climbing up the tree.B次元官网网址�

On sunny days, Lewis drives down to Ocean Boulevard where he sets up his workshop table on the waterfront.

"A lot of times people don't know me when I'm down here. They're like, 'Oh my God, have you seen these?'  I'm just like, yeah I've seen them and then I go, 'I'm actually the artist' ... like, what?B次元官网网址� 

This is exactly the reason why he loves doing what he does. 

"Just making people happy, to me, is the biggest thing. It really is.B次元官网网址�