Robert Duncan Buckland-Nicks
1945-2026
Robert Duncan Buckland-Nicks passed away suddenly on Thursday March 26th in the Valley Regional Hospital. ‘Rob’ was 81. He was born on 5th February 1945 in Worthing, Sussex, England to an artist mother, Suzanne (Farmborough) and loving father, Alan Buckland-Nicks, who was a gifted athlete and businessman.
Rob and brother John (Johnny) grew up together going to boarding schools in England, first to Sompting Abbots in Lancing, Sussex, opposite the Saxon Church where their parents were married in 1943. In his final year there (1958) Rob was Head of School. The next year they started at Berkhamsted Boys School in Hertfordshire where their father at age 18 had been Head of School. Rob excelled in all sports and was a phenomenal sprinter, winning most of his races with ease. He broke his father’s 880 yards record 27 years later. In 1963 he competed in the National Schools Rugby Sevens at Rosslyn Park and scored several tries, running circles around the opposition, although this left him gasping!
At age 19, Rob was accepted into Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design to study Sculpture and that began three years of wonderful experiences in London. He became a fashion savvy, charismatic, and very attractive man who enjoyed a rich and vibrant life. He dated many wonderful women, most of whom remained good friends long after the relationship ended. He drove a Lotus Super Seven and delivered Joanna Lumley to the premiere of one of her films looking ‘absolutely fabulous’! Rob joined a Film Extra company appearing in films such as "Oliver". He owned one of the first Beach Buggies in the UK, built by his friend Ron Denis who later established the McLaren Automotive Company. Rob’s exotic purple buggy was often rented to appear in films,
Rob graduated from Art School in 1966 with a BA in Art and Design and began painting "movement through landscape", while working at a picture-framing gallery in Chobham, Surrey. He dabbled in painting album cover designs and several were purchased by Chrysalis Records, including for the British blues-rock band "Chicken Shack", as well as for "Jethro Tull".
He met Kate Brookes at the Pantiles Night Club and they were married in 1971; the wedding reception was held at their Woking flat which belonged to his Auntie Tee and Johnny flew over from Canada to be the photographer. Rob became well known in the area for his abstract landscapes. Kate, after a short stint as a top London model, started her own successful children’s clothing company called "Freckles".
Rob and Kate discovered a beautiful run-down farm in Shropshire called "Ticklerton Hall", where they wanted to start a commune living off the land. They teamed up with Johnny, Adrian du Vallon and Ed Abelson and together purchased it. Unfortunately, the deal fell through, so Rob and Kate decided to emigrate to Canada to pursue a ‘Back to the Land’ lifestyle there. They joined Johnny and Corliss (Klemenok) there, who had found a piece of land in Bear River that they were happy to divide between them. Rob and Kate arrived in Bear River in 1975 with their two children Sula (3 years) and Naomi (3 months) and the two families rented apartments in downtown Bear River.
Rob and Johnny started a business called Sissiboo Design, which toured craft shows in the summer of 1976, selling screen-printed images on fine art paper. Although they made some money, it wasn’t enough for a living. At some point during these early years Rob and Kate separated and Rob moved to Halifax where he got work as a waiter in the Five Fishermen restaurant.
In 1979 Rob moved back to Bear River and over the next year "through several iterations of partnerships and cooperative efforts, ‘The Flight of Fancy Arts Ltd.’ was founded in 1980" and grew into a wonderful art gallery and craft store exhibiting work of local artists, all chosen by Rob. The Flight of Fancy store was written up in the New York Times and stands as a reflection of Rob’s spirit—welcoming, imaginative, and deeply rooted in the beauty of Bear River. During 1979 Rob designed his own house and helped build it with master carpenter Craig Mitchell. He adopted ‘Bronx’ his beloved dog who became a fixture in the store. He loved to feed the Chicadees and squirrels on his deck. One time he found a young raccoon caught in a trap, half dead. He fed it back to health and it became his pet, often watching him paint.
Rob was a gifted artist who could paint anything and he searched in those early years for subject matter that would earn a living for his family. He tried doing seascapes and landscapes but, in the end, settled on painting his beloved birds. He found a beach on Briar Island with rounded rocks smoothed by the years of crashing waves and realised that he could paint birds in acrylics on the surface. Each rock revealed to him the shape and movement of a particular bird or group of birds on it. He then meticulously painted every detail that made the image come to life in apparent 3-D. Every year Rob (known affectionately as "the Bird Man" or "the Bald Eagle") would lug his paintings of ‘Birds on Stone’ to the various craft shows in the east {The ‘Halifax Forum’, ‘Signatures Originals’ (Ottawa), and ‘One of a Kind’ show (Toronto)}, packed in with display sets that folded up into the trunk of some old car or van. At one of these shows he met Oscar Peterson who came to love Rob’s work and gave him a signed photograph of his hands on a piano keyboard.
"Rob was more than an artist—he was a creative force, a storyteller, and a cherished part of the Bear River community. Through his work and his gallery, he inspired countless visitors and locals alike, leaving a lasting impression with his vision, warmth, and passion for the arts". Among those visitors were many famous people and Rob would often pretend not to recognise them! A classic example was when Peter Gzowski ("Morningside") walked in and explained that he had come down from Toronto. Rob made a joke about wealthy Torontonians buying up Bear River before admitting that he knew who he was! Rob was a kind, gentle, quick-witted and wise man who loved to engage people in conversation. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, visited his gallery, or experienced his work.
Rob adored all of his family and enjoyed having everyone show up at his house for Christmas which happened many times. Sula and Naomi loved the annual Briar Island campouts each August with all their friends from Bear River. He is survived by his ex-wife Kate, their two daughters Sula and Naomi (Blain); his adoring grandchildren, Fiona and Sadie; and his two step daughters, Letisha and Robyn, whom he raised with partner Judy Joys; he is also survived by his brother Johnny (Leslie); and niece May (Miguel) and nephew Michael (Laryssa); and by beloved cousins Helen, Barbie and Penny (who lived for years like sisters with the Buckland-Nicks family, while being educated in England).
Our family extends their heartfelt appreciation to Rob’s caring staff in Bear River, particularly Linda, Justin and Renette and his close friend Gary, who always made him laugh; and to Ashley, who managed the Flight of Fancy for the past several years, when Rob could not. We are also very grateful to Dr. Clarke and the nursing staff at Valley Regional Hospital, particularly M.J. and Sarah. Cremation is being undertaken by the White Family Funeral Home, Kentville.
A celebration of life will be held in May or June at the Flight of Fancy in Bear River for friends and family. He wanted us to have a party to celebrate with live Jazz in his memory! In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Fidelis House Society or the charity of your choice.