Opening Reception, Saturday, March  8, 1-3pm

Marina paints using acrylics. Her favorite subjects to paint involve places she has visited, particularly those to which she has consistently returned throughout her life – the local beaches and forests of Vancouver Island. Marina holds a degree in biological sciences and is always keen to expand her knowledge of local ecology. She holds a deep appreciation for the species and natural landscapes of her home and enjoys showcasing them in her paintings. Painting is a quiet passion for Marina and the potential to improve and explore more subject matter is a huge motivator.

As I’ve been painting this series, I’ve been reflecting on the value and joy of friendship. A close friend of mine, Jill Chernecki passed away from cancer in September. We enjoyed a lot of our ~30 years together at the places in these paintings. This new series is dedicated to the special places in our lives and all of the wonderful memories shared there with friends.

OPENING RECEPTION Saturday, March 8,  1-3pm

Bio: 

I grew up in with an interest in oil painting and through the years with pressures of work and family my art progress was primarily off and on with interest in watercolour and sketching.  Since retirement I have renewed my interest in painting and sketching.  I have taken numerous workshops mainly in pen and ink and watercolour was.  I have exhibited in Port Alberni at the Rollins Art Centre (The Grove) as well as The Old School House in Qualicum and the MacMillan Arts Centre.

Artist Statement:

With the change in our Covid 19 response systems we have all started travelling again and people are out moving around and getting back to travelling.   We have also started travelling again with a trip to Ireland in 2022 and to Hawaii in 2023.  

In the past years we have travelled extensively in Europe as well as trips to the Maritimes and Yukon.  Many of our trips were walking tours in the UK, Spain and Portugal.  With the start of travell

March 4-30, 2025

Opening Reception:  Saturday, March 8   1-3pm

I am very fortunate to live on Vancouver Island, where I am surrounded by lush forests, blue sea, and where breathtaking flowers come to life each spring. The natural beauty around me never ceases to amaze and motivate me to create.

One of my favourite places is my garden. Many of my paintings are inspired by rambling, colourful gardens or vases overflowing with bright blooms.

I love to walk in the forest and by the ocean. Lately, some of my paintings have celebrated the forest and sea.

I paint mostly in acrylic, sometimes watercolour or pastel, and often embellish with torn paper, fabric, yarn and other “found” materials.

My art is intuitive. No detailed plan. No preliminary drawing. I may begin with an idea, some lines or marks, or a combination of colours. I put them on the canvas, see what emerges, and respond to it.  I often add unique embellishments. After years of working within a strict timetable, I find that I dee

OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1-3pm

Born in Ocean Falls 1942, raised in Alert Bay & Sointula by her Ancient indigenous & Early Pioneering family members- reflected in her life’s work of 50+ years.

BC’s historic coast: Totems, trees, coastal & interior landscapes, boats. A slideshow of 3 generations of historic BC photos also on display for first time.

OPENING RECEPTION, Saturday, March 2, 2025

Resist – an art technique that uses several layers to expose or define a design in negative space. Resistant substances are applied as a coating to protect a surface during some process eg. prevent dye adhering. Resist can be created using wax, crayons, inks, paints, pastel/ oil sticks, tape, masks, paper cut outs, stencils, stickers, glue, medium, flour paste, crackle paste, and/or fabric that is bound, scrunched, clamped, etc.

Resist can be artistic, positive, negative, frightening or enlightening…..to stand firm or hold out (against), not yield (to), fight (against). To resist something such as change – you refuse to accept it and try to prevent it…..resist temptation of…..couldn’t resist teasing or laughing at……

Artists: There will be 46 artworks in this exhibition. FAN member bios and photos of member artworks can be viewed at http://fibreartnetwork.com/artists-gallery/ Please note that not all FAN members will be represented in the Resis

February 4 – March 2, 2025

OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1-3pm

Working with colour, shape and line, Laurel paints to show the essence of our Canadian landscape. Seeking for her is to discover by searching and questioning. Place happens when a location is transformed through our experiences and emotions.

Laurel’s current series of paintings flows from a lifetime of landscape painting. In 2022 she won a substantial Canada Council for the Arts grant and in 2024 she attended a painter’s Artist in Residence program on the Canadian Prairie.

Laurel is a Vancouver Island visual artist and educator. She is a community arts volunteer, supporting the MAC and the Oceanside Community Arts Council.

Laurel is also on the MAC School for Creative Arts Faculty, and will be hosting classes and workshops:

ARTIST TALK: Friday, February 21, 2025, 1pm

VISUAL VOICE WORKSHOP, Saturday, February 22^nd, 10-3pm

Grant Writing for Artists, Sunday, February 23, 2025, 1-3pm

25^th ANNIVERSARY SILK AND SILVER SHOW

“We are, first and foremost, painters. This is not fabric art, or silk-screen printing. The silk is our canvas.”

The Vancouver Island Silk Painters, formally the Silk Worm Club, was founded in January 2000 by Maureen Walker at Pioneer Silk Studio where members of the group were taught, challenged, but above all, allowed to keep their own style and artistic individuality. Each person, taught a new technique, would take it and do something different with it – thus exploiting the versatility of silk painting.

The group has been used to holding workshops and monthly meetings which include Show & Tell and a critiquing session. Members have a good grounding in the traditional outlining with resist technique, experience with contemporary use of layering colour and indirect painting, together with knowledge of design and composition. This is a very social, active group of enthusiastic and supportive artists, with diverse styles, subject matter and techniq

OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1-3pm

Step into a world where every brushstroke dances with the essence of natural light at Bev Robertson's enchanting art show, "Capturing the Light." This exhibition invites you to witness the delicate interplay of light in some of the most serene and captivating settings.

The gallery is adorned with an exquisite collection of Bev's paintings, where her talent for capturing light transforms each scene into a radiant experience. The show features an array of floral masterpieces, from vibrant Peonies to elegant Tulips and splendid Dahlias, each nestled in jars and bathed in the warm, golden glow of a summer day.

As you move through the exhibition, you'll encounter mesmerizing ocean scenes where light glints off the water's surface or shines through the waves, creating a dynamic play of reflections that make the water appear almost alive. Bev's portrayal of these moments captures the ephemeral beauty of the seaside, evoking memories of tranquil

Reconnecting to that side of me that has been dormant for so many years. Letting finally go of all distractions, needs and duties. Letting myself immerse in colours, shapes and creativity. 

October 29 – November 24, 2024

OPENING RECEPTION, Saturday, November 2, 2024

Expressionist and realistic artist Christian Ouellet’s art embodies his profound love for nature, encapsulating the space and vibrant life that flourish within the natural beauty of our environment—a beauty we too often overlook. With a palette of bright and vivid colors, Christian skillfully captures the essence and emotion of each subject. His chosen medium, acrylic paint, becomes a conduit through which he shares his undeniable respect and appreciation for the world around us.

We invite you to immerse yourself in his work, where each piece speaks a language of tranquility and awe. May the artwork you select resonate with you, bringing a sense of serenity each time your gaze falls upon it.

Thank you for embracing this

October 29 – November 24, 2024

OPENING RECEPTION:  SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2024    1-3pm

At the MAC

When it comes to my dotillism work, all of my pieces generally feature around light.   The designs created with the dots all branch out from a central circle which usually represents either the sun or the moon.  This has always been a wonderful reflection to me of the natural world – how so many of the Earth’s systems rely on light and are all affected by the change of light as seasons progress.  I create the pattern of dots based on what level of light the scene I’m painting would have – a more explosive, linear design for bright sunlight and a more mellow, gradient design for moonlight or stormier, lower light days.  The subject, whether an animal, a coastaline, a view point, etc. are painted simply and in silhouette so that they contrast with the complex design in the ‘background’ and do not compete with the dots, but are highlighted by them.  All designs are a celebration of the subjec

Show dates: October 29th – November 23rd.
Artist talk Saturday November 2nd at 2:00 pm.

The McMillan Art Centre is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by

Janis Gosbee.

Dive into a world where nature and abstraction converge. This exhibition highlights the
dynamic interplay between the forces of nature and the energetic strokes of action
painting. Featuring large-scale oil and acrylic paintings, each piece captures the essence of
movement and emotion, transforming natural landscapes into vibrant,
abstract expressions. Explore the rhythmic motifs, unique color fields, and evocative mark-
making that defines the work, and experience the raw power and beauty of nature
reimagined through abstract art.
Please join us November 2nd at 2:00 pm for her artist talk and viewing of her latest work.

OPENING RECEPTION AND CONCERT:  SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1-3pm

Being an artist, for me, was never really an option. I was not really passionate about anything else – except maybe watching the Three Stooges on Saturday morning television.  Life was simple growing as a kid in Hamilton, Ontario, during the 1960’s; the local lads and I spent most of our weekends fishing, hiking, exploring, and avoiding anything related to household chores.

Art, though, was another thing. Being banished to my room, as punishment for some misdemeanour, was actually fun. I would spend the hours (before my father got home) drawing and painting anything that came to mind. There was little or no artistic instruction or guidance in my life, so I was alone with my imagination to seek inspiration from art found in books and magazines.

Many calendars later, I found myself, through a fantastic twist of fate, studying at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto where I studied under some of the best illustrators of the day.

Rosemary FONTENLA 

OPENING RECEPTION, Saturday, September 7, 2024

I began my Artistic endeavors in 1981 at Camosun College in Victoria where I studied for 2 years. Learning Perspective, compositon, life drawing, & watercolors.   In 1985 I took courses with 2 very different artists. First studying with well known Victoria botanical water colourist artist Byrony Lynne-Jones. Next Allan Mark Cross, whose style is completely different, very loose, mostly Landscapes and old houses.   My husband and I moved to Parksville in 2006. I took acrylic painting with Devon Featherstone, and Elissa Anthony a landscape artist whose style I admired.     After I took some time to explore what I learned. I practiced daily and I found my artistic style.

A few years ago I developed and co-ordinated the free art program for seniors “Aging Artfully” and “Seniors Art Program. I taught classes at both Stanford Village in Parksville and The Gardens in Qualicum Beach, where I taught students with a range of disab

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

DeCosmos Fine Arts Society Art Exhibition

September 2 – 29, 2024

OPENING RECEPTION Saturday, September 7, 2024,  1-3pm

JUNE 29 – SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

Deb FREEMAN   Wildlife Photographer          DF GRAY   Pastel artist         Christopher SMITH    Glass artist          GA FULLER   First Nations Photographer

Nelson SHAW    Steel artist            David MACKENZIE    Videographer         Mike BELLIS    Haida Carver

  In keeping with the MAC’s commitment to showcasing work that provokes conversations about the beauty and importance of our natural environment and building on previous installation works ( Soft Shore 2019, Tale of One Urban Creek 2022)  Xpey’ will be an artistic ‘deep dive’ into the fragility  and splendor of our threatened wetlands.

Wetlands is a big conversation, from the intermingling of fresh and salt water in our estuaries, important nurseries for salmon, to watershed catchments and sponges that retain water for release in times of drought; Hamilton Marsh, for example.  Wetlands are central to the biodiversity and health of the wild environment.   To potential wetlands being returned to its

 June 25 – July 28, 2024

Opening Reception:  Saturday, June 29, 2024   1-3pm

Marina paints using acrylics. Her favorite subjects to paint involve places she has visited, particularly those to which she has consistently returned throughout her life – the local beaches and forests of Vancouver Island. Marina holds a degree in biological sciences and is always keen to expand her knowledge of local ecology. She holds a deep appreciation for the species and natural landscapes of her home and enjoys showcasing them in her paintings. Painting is a quiet passion for Marina and the potential to improve and explore more subject matter is a huge motivator.

Judy Button - STRAIGHT LINES

• May 28 – June 23, 2024
• Opening Reception Saturday, June 1st, 1-3pm

Marion Jamieson - ISLAND TIME

• May 28 – June 23, 2024
• OPENING RECEPTION Saturday, June 1, 2024,  1-3pm

A SERIES OF 5 OUTSTANDING ARTISTS

• ANDREW COLLINS, VIDEOGRAPHER
• May 28 – June 23, 2024
• Opening Reception, Saturday, June 1, 1-3pm

WILL MILLAR - A ROVING IRISHMAN’S LIFE IN ART

• May 28 – June 23, 2024
•  OPENING RECEPTION AND CONCERT:  SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 1-3PM