Comox Valley Arts

Text: The Art of Language
2025-09-16 10:00 - 2025-10-12 16:00 (America/Vancouver) | Pearl Ellis Gallery, 1729 Comox Ave, Comox, BC, V9M 3M2, Canada
The Pearl Ellis Gallery presents Text: The Art of Language from September 16 to October 11, 2025. This exhibition explores the powerful role that text plays in communication, expression, and meaning-making within the visual arts.
The public is warmly invited to meet the artists and enjoy light refreshments at the opening reception on Saturday, September 20, from 1–3 pm.
Text, in its many forms, serves as a bridge between the visual and the verbal. It can tell stories, convey ideas, or function as a graphic element that adds depth and complexity to an artwork. In this show, artists have taken up the challenge of integrating words and symbols into their creations, inviting viewers to consider how language shapes the way we see and interpret art.
The exhibition features a diverse range of mediums—including painting, photography, collage, glass, and mixed media—each offering a unique perspective on how text can be used as both image and message. Some works use language as their central subject, while others allow words to whisper quietly beneath the surface. Together, they demonstrate the versatility of text as a creative tool.

“Artist in a Ric Rac Dress” Barb Hutson Exhibition
2025-09-16 12:00 - 2025-10-04 17:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Visit Artful : The Gallery to enjoy Comox Valley artist Barb Hutson’s exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculpture. Her colourful paintings and her quirky sense of humour combine to create a delightful show. Gallery Hours weds-Sat 12-5pm.
Barb Hutson was born in California in 1945 and grew up in North Hollywood, the third of four children. Her father, who had been to art school himself, always encouraged her artistic endeavours.
Following High School, she attended Chouinard Art Institute (now part of California Institute of the Arts) from 1964 to 1966. Her next art school was Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California, where she studied sculpture in 1969.
After leaving Santa Barbara in 1971, her family immigrated to British Columbia where they made their home. After years of raising a young family and running a local travel agency she decided to go back to art school (“To relearn everything!”she said) and attended classes at North Island College from 1995 to 1998.
Barb maintained a studio in Tin Town from 2002 to 2017 where she participated in events including The Needle Show, The Shoe Show, Hats and Fascinators, and The Jar Show. She also participated in Tin Town’s Open Houses. She was a member of the Arts Council and served as a director of the Muir Gallery. She showed her work in the member shows at the Muir Gallery. Barb has received many awards for her work.
