Nerissa Layton’s favourite quote comes from Banksy. “Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable”. As one who has lived through the extremes of both disturbance and comfort, she is in a unique position to deliver on that promise with her art. Often living in a paracosmic world of her own imagining, her pictures are more like windows into fevered dreams, and cherished reveries. In them, you’ll bear witness to a remarkable soul who sees life both through an innocent, playful child’s eyes, and through the ancient, tortured eyes of one who has, perhaps, experienced too much. Nerissa’s work invariably elicits an immediate, visceral reaction—even a double take… but, as Nerissa is so fond of saying, “anything less is wallpaper”.

My work is not media specific. I am interested in ideas about the environment both internal and external. I make use of familiar found items that are carefully constructed into objects or installations that discover new narratives about old concerns. Some works pay homage to those who have dared to stand alone; other works are concerned with an affair of the spirit and use water and light. Objects may have a surreal edge that masks a serious engagement.

I moved to Gabriola more than 10 years ago. Before then I lived in the UK and exhibited in mainly in London, and internationally. I have work in public collections and been supported by Arts Council England and Canada Council.

Ocean has been a multimedia artist for over 30 years, showing her work in Vancouver, Toronto and Canmore. Her work has always been heavily influenced by her environment. In the city, it consisted primarily of assemblage art from found objects. When she moved to Gabriola, her found objects became driftwood pieces and she took to carving exclusively.

As she carves, she works intuitively with each piece, releasing the form that she senses dwelling in the wood. Her intention in sharing her carvings is to offer guests the opportunity to connect more deeply to trees. Her inner work is to continuously develop her attentiveness to the spirit of the wood.

Visual artist Tammy Hudgeon grew up under the wide and endless sky of the Canadian Prairies, a place where the open landscape became deeply rooted in her soul.

Tammy travels widely and finds herself awed and inspired by the traditional and tribal cultures she’s visited and their spirited use of colour, adornment and sacred rituals.

She is widely know for her fused glass sculptures and her paintings.

Many of Tammy’s collectors know her art for her themes of nature, vibrant living colours and exuberant wild spirit.

West Coast Canadian Artist Tyrrell Clarke’s artwork is an evolving stream of spiritual images from the figurative to the abstract in nature. Upon completion of her BFA she made a name for herself as a Canadian artistic voice for the past 30 years in galleries and private collections both internationally and locally.

Tyrrell recently moved to Gabriola Island, a Canadian paradise on the West Coast of BC. Gabriola Island has a vibrant community of west coast Canadian artists. This move is inspired by the deep resonance of nature she feels in the Canadian landscape. She has a signature style, and her latest paintings are infused with energy and vitality that mirror the flowers, forests, and ocean that now surround her.

She is known for being a master colourist through her use of vibrant jewel tones and subtle glazes. Her canvases have a current of energy that invokes a spirit of connection in the observer.

Gabriola Island professional studio since 1996.Featured in Gabriola’s most beautiful homes and widely collected. Original art with signature techniques and processes which have produced the popular series ‘Contemporary Frescoes’ and ‘Sculptural Paintings’.
It is my response to the energy of the living world that drives the engine of my art making. The interrelationship between nature, art and the human spirit is the focus of my continuous exploration. The mindful act of constructing/deconstructing the surface, inscribing organic rhythms, and layering colour, creates a distillation of experience.Intuitive, expressive, sensual and transitory,
my abstracts are reflecting equivalents in nature. Themes of landscape and memory are evocative
of a moment caught in time.

Dianna Bonder is an Award-winning Children's Illustrator/Sculptor. Dianna's imagination is a Carnival of the Weird....a road-side attraction that can't be missed! Her innovative, original contemporary surreal work is loaded with satirical commentary, whimsy, and bizarre narratives.

Hilary grew up in rural Ontario, drawing and painting her way through school. Current fascinations include the beauty of the natural world and the exploration of her inner world through a meditative and intuitive approach to creation. Both aspects have been deeply supported through living on Gabriola where natural inspiration is all around and peace for contemplation is abundantly available. Her most recent work includes oil paintings of local scenes as well as a new experimental abstract series.

Corinne is a photographer and visual artist. She uses a variety of mediums including acrylics, oil, alcohol ink and watercolour. Corinne has dabbled in painting and photography for years but has become much more active in the past few years since retiring. She has taken a variety of courses to learn new techniques and develop new ideas. She started taking photos for the intent of capturing ideas to paint and discovered she had an eye for capturing beautiful images.

Corinne loves to travel and capture the essence of the places she travels to and then paint these images from the photos or from memory. Corinne loves to be surrounded by nature and is fascinated in everything from the smallest rocks to the most vast skies.

Elsa Bluethner is an oil painter creating exuberant bold works imbued with life and energy. Elsa's experiences and former career in costuming, garment design, and illustration along with her world explorations and love of the outdoors inspire and inform her imagination as she works from life and memory. Her creative explorations span multiple disciplines and she is know for her plein air, figurative and imaginative abstracts. Elsa has been a professional artist since 2002 and has been living and working on Gabriola Island, BC since 2014.