Synnove Pettersen, VHS 1963   Miss Victoria 1962

Synnove Pettersen and her family immigrated to Canada from Norway in 1956, and she learned English here in Canada. Despite being quite shy and still in Grade 11 at Vic High, she entered the Miss Victoria pageant. “Somebody pushed me to enter,” she said. “Others saw more in me than I saw in myself.”  Many girls like Synnove went to charm school back then, learning poise and etiquette, posture, how to be present and mindful. And those girls were often approached to enter the pageant.

For her talent in the pageant, Synnove told the story of her family immigrating to Canada and sang a Norwegian song in her native language. “Becoming Miss Victoria really boosted my confidence, “ she said. “My Miss Victoria dress was beautiful, and I remember there were two crowns, a big one for photos and parades, and a smaller one.” She was living with her sister at the time  as her family had moved to Los Angeles and she’d chosen to stay in Victoria to finish her education at Vic High. “I didn’t have adults around me at the time,” she said, “so winning the pageant in those circumstances really meant a lot.”

 

Synnove’s 1963 grad write-up: Synnove is a member of the Grad and Mixed Choirs, but most of her time at school is spent in the Art Room. Most of her time outside school has been taken up by her Miss Victoria activities. After a trip to Europe Synnove plans to live in Los Angeles where she will become a Commercial Artist. 

Synnove still raves about Vic High art teacher, Mrs. Cameron. “She was terrific. She would enter our art into competitions which definitely boosted our confidence.”  After Vic High, Synnove won a scholarship to an art school in Los Angeles, where her family lived. “It was a very male environment and they wanted me to study automobile design. But I was more interested in fashion illustration.”

Synnove has created art all her life – portraiture, landscapes, nudes, wildlife. She lives in Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, and her art is sold worldwide from her website. She’s a board member at her local 800-member seniors’ centre, took up the ukulele, and recently started an ambitious portrait exhibit project. “I’ve filled one wall of our centre so far, with 30-40, 8 x 10 portraits of local people and there’s many more to go. I take a head shot photo to use as reference. I expect this is my last painting project.”

Synnove has stayed in touch since the pageant with both her princesses, Della Irvine and Muriel Bertrand. She also remains friends with some of her Vic High classmates and has attended Class of 1963 reunions.  Some years ago, her old friends in Norway found her online. “They all meet for lunch every month,” said Synnove, “and I can join them online.”

Find Synnove’s art at  https://synnove-pettersen.pixels.com

Archives Club students Sam Lilas and Sereia Felipe-Alves helped interview Synnove online from her home on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.