Harold Allanson went from life-long trucker to watercolour painter when he rediscovered the artistic side he’d left behind in his youth.

This Friday, his life-like watercolour paintings of ranching life will headline Nicola Valley Ranch Life, the first exhibit at the Courthouse Art Gallery this year.

As a child in Quesnel, Allanson had a passion for drawing.

He dropped out of school at a young age and saved up some money before venturing to the U.S. in 1961 to attend art school in Chicago.

However, he never finished the program before coming back to Canada.

From his home in Gabriola Island, Allanson told the Herald he didn’t feel he had enough training to attempt a professional art career, so he went into the family business — trucking.

“It was an easy fit, and the next thing you know, you got a family and you’re away all the time,” he said.

Allanson’s art aspirations came to an end at that point, and he spent most of his working life as a truck driver.

But once he retired, Allanson took up watercoulor painting after attending workshops on the art style and found he liked it.

The 72-year-old’s watercolour work consists mostly of realistic ranch life and boat scenes, which are two areas he’s been submerged in over the course of his life.

Boating is a typical family pastime for Allanson, his wife and kids, and in his youth he often helped out at a friend’s ranch.

The art on display at the gallery this weekend features scenes from the Nicola Ranch.

A life-long friend of his features heavily in Allanson’s ranching artwork.

On occasion, Allanson would visit his friend at the Nicola Ranch, shadowing him in order to collect photographs to use as reference material for his paintings.

Allanson said his paintings are not simply recreations of photographs, but compositions of various photos.

“Usually, there’s never enough in one photograph, and I take bits and pieces from here and there, and sometimes the bits and pieces are a year or two apart,” Allanson said.

Nicola Valley Ranch Life opens Friday and will be on display during the gallery’s regular hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with the artist’s reception Feb. 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. The show will also be displayed next weekend.