top of page
Artful : The Gallery
Living An Artful Existence
With gratitude and deep respect
living, working and creating
on the unceded traditional territory
of the Pentlatch people and
the K'ómoks First Nation,
comprised of the Sathloot, Sasitla,
Ieeksen and Xa'xe people
Wednesday thru Saturday 12 to 5pm 526C Cumberland Road Courtenay BC
Home: Welcome
The explosion of colour on the gallery walls is a reflection of the enthusiastic energy of spring arriving! ‘The Octet Salon’ is open and runs till June 14th at Artful : The Gallery. Featuring a wide variety of mediums from photography to sculptural pieces and a profusion of paintings, this exhibition of 8 Vancouver Island artists is a feast for the eyes. Janice Hayward’s photograph ‘Emerald Stillness’ (l) and a trio of Elaine Smith’s mixed media on wood cradled panels (clockwise from upper left) ‘Searching for the Pot of Gold (in) Green’, ‘The Upside of Green’ and ‘The Search for Greener Pastures’ are featured. Join us for the Artist Reception this Saturday, May 24, 7-9pm!
Just a little reminder about the Comox Valley Songwriters Circle tonight at Artful! The perfect finish to your long weekend. Bring your original tunes to share around the circle with the other singer songwriters. Hosted by Ashley Sykes, 7-9pm, $10 or PWYC.
Three spots left for this workshop! Sunday also happens to be Mother’s Day if you are still looking for a fun experience to give Mom…or to do with your Mom…or do with some Mom friends 😊 Undrawn is playful creative exploration, all levels of experience are welcome…this workshop isn’t just for artists! For more info or to register go to artfulexistence.ca/undrawn
Make it a poetry day! Come join us at Artful for the launch of ‘Winter in America (Again’ with host Paul E. Nelson, 3-5pm, with readings by a number of the contributors to the anthology. Go enjoy a meal at one of the many fabulous restaurants and then come on back to Artful for the evening poetry open mic and feature poet reading, 7-9pm with host Scott Lawrance.
So excited to welcome ‘The Octet Salon’ back to Artful. You guessed it…eight Comox Valley artists coming together for this spring exhibition. I look forward to welcoming back Elaine Smith, Teresa Kachanoski, Janice Hayward, Karen Segee, Corinne Elliott & Kate Bridger (the ringleader!) and welcoming ‘new to Artful’ artists Jack Duckworth and Ana Gundzik. Mark your calendars for the Artist Reception Sat, May 24th, 7-9pm.
Artful : The Poets welcomes Paul E. Nelson tomorrow evening 7-9pm as our feature poet. Paul started poetry at Artful three years ago with his reading, and what a wonderful thing that has become! Open mic to start off the evening, sign up at the door, $10 or pwyc. Join us! 😊
Last chance to catch this exhibition! On Monday, May 5th, 3-5pm, Paul E. Nelson will be having a book launch at Artful for his new poetry anthology ‘Winter in America (Again’ and he will also be our Feature Poet at Artful : The Poets in the evening 7-9pm. If you’ve been collecting gallery stamps as part of the Waterways exhibition, you need to get your stamp card to one of the 9 participating galleries pronto because we will be drawing for the prizes next week as well. This gallery view will be gone Tuesday, it’s been a great exhibition! (From top l clockwise: Josh Klassen’s ‘Molecules of Blue’, Marci Katz’s ‘We Are So Screwed’, Charlton Bullock’s ‘Map Failure’, Clive Powsey’s ‘Estuary’, Kate Bridger’s ‘Made on Monday #297, and Janice Hayward’s ‘Myra Falls - Strathcona Park’
Last two days of H20 at Artful! Cozy corner of the gallery with (l) Kate Bridger’s “Beyond the Wreckage”, (center top) Trisha Milne’s “Sweet Summer: Comox), (r) Clive Powsey’s “Moses Giving the Sermon on the Whale After the Flood” and (center bottom) Rita Loehr’s “Daisies and More”.
Gallery view of a colourful grouping of works (l top) Karen Segee’s “Lush”, (l bottom) Elaine Prodor’s “Sink or Swim” and (r) Laurie Martz’s “Lucious Moon”. This is the last week for H20, part of the Waterways: Comox Valley Gallery Hop. Artful hours: Weds thru Sat 12-5pm.
Monday evening at Artful is the Comox Valley Songwriters Circle, 7-9 pm. Bring your original music to share with other singer/songwriters. Ashley Sykes is the host for the event, $10 or pwyc.
Gallery view of (l) Shea Kotilla’s “Northern Compass” and (r) Corinne Elliott’s “After the Rain”
So excited to be hosting @kimjunejohnson with cellist Jordie Robinson here at Artful on Saturday, April 19th with two performances 4:00 and 7:00pm. Reach out to: kimjunejohnson.com to get your tickets, $20 in advance, $25 at the door space permitting. Check out the events page on artfulthegallery.com to learn more.
Gallery view of artworks by (l top) Rita Loehr’s collagraphs “Just Another Day” and (c) “Morton Lake”, Kate Bridger’s mixed media “The Lake” and Channing Holland’s acrylic on canvas “Comox Shore Towards Goose Spit”
Invite a friend to join you and come to the poetry & collage workshop this Sunday afternoon at Artful! 1:30 to 4, $25, all materials provided, email Diana to register: wordsandimagescollagepoetry@gmail.com
I love the quiet contemplation inspired by this grouping of artworks: (l) Wendy Morosoff-Smith “Let Me Live by the Sea”, (c.top) Corina Menz “Snowy Roads in the Hood”, (c.bottom) Roger Vermeulen “Finn Slough Evening”, and (r) Terri Stelfox “Instability”.
Get rewarded for your gallery visits! Fill your stamp card and enter to win art prizes, generously donated by the participating artists.
Don’t miss Neil Surkan tonight, our feature poet at Artful : The Poets! Nanaimo’s Poet Laureate will be hosted by local gem Natalie Nickerson. Open mic after the feature (5 mins each, sign up at door). $10 or pwyc. 7-9 pm 😊
It might take a little planning to get to all nine, but I’m already seeing stamp cards that are more than half full!
Make it an art day! Feed your soul with beauty and inspiration while you support local artists and local art spaces and places. Check the Waterways map on the @pearlellisgallery website and plan your route. Join us tonight at Artful for the Artist Reception, 7-9 pm 😊
And they are off! Openings everywhere: The Worthy Room and The Gallery@Weird Church tonight in Cumberland, tomorrow afternoon we have CVAG, Artwrx and Pearl Ellis, and Artful : The Gallery tomorrow evening. Join us for some or all of the exhibitions in Waterways, the Comox Valley Gallery Hop. Exhibitions all run throughout April, check individual venues for hours. Hope to see you tomorrow at Artful! 7-9pm 😊🎈
For the month of April, nine galleries across the Comox Valley celebrate the theme of water. Immerse yourself in the Comox Valley’s vibrant art scene as you hop from gallery to gallery, discovering artwork by local artists. Collect stamps at each gallery and enter to win fabulous art prizes! Join us for the reception for Artful : The Gallery’s “H20” Saturday, April 5th, 7-9pm.
Most of the artworks made it onto the walls today, and I gotta say, this is a stunner of an exhibition! Weds 12 noon Artful returns to reg hours: Weds to Sat 12-5pm. Join us for the Artist Reception Saturday, April 5, 7-9pm. I was going to say there will be…but those who know…😉…know! Looking forward to seeing all the smiling faces 🎈
…and the poetry is popping up all over town! I was out downtown this afternoon and the poems are appearing on the storefront windows 🤩 Poets will be writing a free poem for you @gladstonebrewingco Saturday April 12th between 2:30 - 4:30. Sounds like fun to me!
Looking forward to hosting (and participating😊) in the next instalment of the Words + Images workshop series led by Diana Kolpak and Carys Owen. Be sure to register ahead if you’d like to attend! Email: wordsandimagescollagepoetry@gmail.com to get set up to attend.
A special thank you to Alora Griffin for her work to bring this exhibition together! Her love of watercolour painting inspired her to gather the artists, each of whom explores the medium differently. It’s been my pleasure to have the good company of these artists work for the past month, and to see the pleasure of the buyers 🎈
I always feel a bit bereft as a show comes to a close. Spending so much time with the work while it is here, I get attached to the pieces 🥰 The window at night is always the last thing I see as I head home, and this trio by Channing Holland, Trisha Milne and Roger Vermeulen has been an especially settling and peaceful end to my day. Exhibition ends today at 5pm.
Last day of ‘Scapes at Artful! Perfect opportunity to find some sunshine and light on a rainy Saturday afternoon 🌞 gallery hours 12-5pm
If you haven’t been in to see this exhibition yet, you are running out of time! Don’t miss this opportunity to travel the world without leaving the valley 😊
Here’s your Thursday afternoon art interlude, music on! Only 2 more days of ‘Scapes, this exhibition closes Saturday, March 15th at 5pm. Enjoy 😊
Last few days of ‘Scapes! Exhibition ends on Saturday, March 15th. Gallery hours 12-5pm between now and then.
A gorgeous collection of watercolours by Alora Griffin, all painted on a trip to Spain: “Lonely Pole” (l), “Orange Fields” (ct), “Rain on the Plain” (cb), and “Cloud Shadows” (r). The warmth of this collection sure makes rain in Spain look more delightful than the grey deluge we are currently experiencing. Rainy days are great gallery days!
Spread the word! The date for the next Comox Valley Songwriters Circle has changed.
I’m loving the sunshine and colour both inside and outside the gallery today! This grouping of Trisha Milne’s watercolours includes “Cumberland Light #2” (sold), “Three Poppies” (top right) and “Resurrection” (bottom right), offering premonitions of what is to come.
A trio of Roger Vermeulen’s emotionally evocative watercolours: “Finn Slough Evening”, “Normandy (Normandie) Farm #1” and “Premiere Recontre”.
Come join us Monday evening at Artful to give a warm Comox Valley welcome to Victoria’s Cynthia Woodman. Our host for the evening, Diana Kolpak, will also lead the open mic (5mins each, sign up at the door) after our feature poet reading. 7-9pm, $10 or pwyc.
Love this grouping of Channing Holland’s watercolours! ‘Old Warrior’ in the center fills me with nostalgia, and the luscious warmth of her peaches and water lilies transport me.
Trisha Milne’s ‘Open Umbrellas’ and ‘The Great Egret (Stopping Time)’ offering an inkling of what lies ahead for us as spring approaches.
Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the Artist Reception for ‘Scapes. The artists Alora Griffin, Channing Holland, Trisha Milne and Roger Vermeulen were all so appreciative of the warm reception! Exhibition continues thru March 15. Lots of gift priced pieces, smaller watercolours, matted and unframed, in addition to the framed pieces in the exhibition. Stop by the gallery, Weds to Sat, 12-5pm.
Travel the world without leaving town! Between these 4 watercolour artists, you can be transported. Alora Griffin, @channingartist, @trishasmilne and Roger Vermeulen each interpret the world around us through their unique lens.
So excited to be hosting Steven J. Thompson for this workshop, this Sunday, March 2, 1:00 - 5:00pm. Email Steven at stevenjthompsonpoet@gmail.com to register to join us!
And we are off! The first exhibition for 2025 begins today at Artful. ‘Scapes…land, sea, garden, urban, rural…four Comox Valley artists bring the world to the gallery. Alora Griffin, Channing Holland, Trisha Milne and Roger Vermeulen interpret their visions of the environment with water and colour. The exhibition includes both framed and I framed artwork. Join us for the Artist Reception this Saturday, February 22nd, 7-9pm! Gallery hours Weds - Sat 12-5pm.
On tonight at Artful, the Comox Valley Singersongwriters Circle! Bring your original tunes to share with the group 🎶 7-9pm, $10 or pwyc.
If spending time with friends and being more creative we’re on your list of intentions for 2025…I can help: Come and play! Invite a friend to join you ($25 off bring a friend discount for each of you!) Spend this Sunday afternoon feeding yourself nutritious heart & soul food, and enjoy by some sanctuary from the storm. I know where I will be! 😉
Sunshine and a flurry of Clive Powsey is in the forecast! Clive’s prints are all over the walls at Artful for this One Day Only Pop Up Exhibition: ‘Discontemporary Printmaking’ Be sure to stop by the gallery today when you are out and about. 10-4pm
Print lovers tomorrow is your day! Clive Powsey is taking over Artful : The Gallery for the day with his Pop Up Exhibition (10am to 4pm) ‘Discontemporary Printmaking’. Over at the Pearl in Comox ‘Through Lines’ has their opening reception 1 to 3pm. Looking forward to seeing you out and about 😎
Artful : The Poets will be an open mic only tonight for those who live nearby. The feature poet Carol Neufeld will be rescheduled for later this spring. Be safe!
So excited to host this One-Day-Only Pop-Up Exhibition by a Comox Valley treasure: Clive Powsey! ‘Discontemporary Printmaking’ features a collection of Clive’s prints, resolutely refusing to be located within the temporality of the current moment. Referencing archetypal imagery Clive creates signals rather than noise, with the intention that the work withstand the passage of time. This exhibition will appear briefly in time and space at 10am on the morning of February 8th, providing opportunities to delight and/or offend gallery visitors, before disappearing at 4pm. Don’t miss it!
…and we are off! First event of 2025: the Comox Valley Songwriters Circle gathers here at Artful monthly (usually the third Monday of the month) and brings together a variety of the valley’s sing songwriters to share their songs with each other. While the tunes must be your original songs, that’s about the only criteria. From beginners to performers, using a lovely variety of instruments (including the gallery’s piano!) or singing a capella, come share your work with this inviting group of musical creators! Monday, January 20th, 7-9pm, $10 or pwyc.
Here’s your Thursday afternoon art interlude…music on! Only two more days of Capt. Jeff in the house, don’t miss it!
A whimsical corner of the gallery is available if you’re looking for something to soothe the chaos of the season, Capt. Jeff’s exhibition closes this Saturday, Dec 21st so be sure to get in if you are hoping to see it.
bottom of page