Comox Valley Arts

Abundance: Fall Members Show
2025-08-22 10:00 - 2025-09-13 16:00 (America/Vancouver) | Pearl Ellis Gallery, 1729 Comox Ave, Comox, BC, V9M 3M2, Canada
The Pearl Ellis Gallery is hosting Abundance, a members’ show that brings together artists from the Comox Valley and nearby communities. On display from August 19 to September 13, the show includes paintings, photography, fibre art, sculpture, and more — each piece reflecting the creativity of the people who live here.
Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, August 23, from 1–3 pm to meet the artists, enjoy some light refreshments, and connect with others who love local art. Admission is free and everyone’s welcome.

Text: The Art of Language
2025-09-16 10:00 - 2025-10-12 16:00 | 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.

Spirits of the Forest ~ Stumps and Stitches
2025-10-22 12:00 - 2025-11-15 17:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Sue Muirhead is a lover of deep connection, the wild, windy world, and passionate, soulful creating of all kinds. Sue began an exploration into a variety of art forms in the early 2000’s. She found great pleasure in putting colour and form on paper. Over time, ‘process art’—art without an investment in the outcome—has become one of her most enlivening ways of expressing and processing her thoughts and feelings. Sue expresses creatively for the joy and the full bodied aliveness she feels when she engages her creative spirit.

Over the last year she has shifted mediums and now has become a ‘process stitcher’ where she stitches for the sheer pleasure of expressing. Sue is calling this show ‘Spirits of the Forest – Stumps and Stitches”. Sue shares, “When I walk in the woods, my soul, the essence of me, connects deeply to what surrounds me.” Stumps fascinate her, pull her in, capture her attention.

When in the forest and amongst the trees and stumps she often feels the presence of spirits. Most cultures in the world, at some time in their history to present day, have honoured, feared, and/or held in high esteem the many spirits of the forest and believe that they exist. Forest spirits are often thought of as protectors, keepers or guardians of the woodlands.

Sue thinks of stumps as teachers – often cut down, taken out, they sit benevolently in the forest, in clear cuts, sometimes looking bedraggled or barren; forever changed from what they once were. Given time, however, new life begins to form and they can become a haven for new growth, incomprehensible beauty. They teach that it is possible to be cut down in life by circumstances beyond our control, and over time there is the possibility of innovative beauty and renewed life.

For this show, Sue and her brother, Patrick Hill, went out into the forests around where they live and took over 200 pictures of stumps. Sue then took up what she now calls “Process Stitching” (an approach borrowed from Process Painting), where she stitched with no investment in a predetermined outcome , emphasizing exploration, experimentation and self expression. She called on the stitches to make visible, to
embody as much as possible the spirits of the forest. When stitching, Sue states she “feels the fabric and thread as living beings, alive.” Embroiderer Christi Johnson (2021) offers, “The creative process is not simply about what is being made; it is an entirely mystical process that teaches us how to move between the internal world of the soul and the physical world outside….Embroidery offers an opportunity to return to the natural order. Stitching by hand slows down the body and, over time slows down the mind.”

The essence of Spirits of the Forest – Stumps and Stitches is a full engagement of Sue’s creative energy and love. When engaged with her creative spirit and the wild world that surrounds her she shares, “I feel the wind, I feel the moonlight, I feel the spirits in the forest…and my hands stitch and stitch and stitch…”

The 5th Annual Comox Valley Record Show
2025-10-26 11:00 - 16:00 | Comox Valley Curling Centre, 4835 Headquarters Road, Courtenay, BC, V9J1P2, Canada
Vinyl lovers, collectors, and music enthusiasts, mark your calendars! The 5th Annual Comox Valley Record Show is set to groove its way back into town on Sunday, October 26, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Comox Valley Curling Centre, located at 4835 Headquarters Road, Courtenay.
This beloved event brings together dealers from across Vancouver Island and the Mainland, offering thousands of records spanning every genre imaginable—from classic rock and jazz to punk, soul, and beyond. But it’s not just vinyl: attendees will also find posters, books, CDs, tapes, and other music memorabilia to explore.
What to Expect:
A spacious venue filled with vibrant energy and rare finds
Food and drinks available on-site, including
Elevator access and plenty of free parking
Friendly vendors and fellow music fans ready to share stories and swap treasures
Tips for Attendees:
Prefer a quieter browsing experience? Arrive later in the day (2 to 4 PM)
Bring cash—while vendors increasingly accept digital payments, vinyl culture still loves the old-school paper vibe.
Come prepared to dig deep—hidden gems await!
Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just starting your vinyl journey, the Comox Valley Record Show is a can’t-miss celebration of music, nostalgia, and community. As the organizers say, “It’s like Christmas—it comes but once a year!”
Admission is still only $2 and kids under 12 are free. Lots of parking and the kitchen and Extra End Lounge will be open, not to mention curling to watch alongside the record show.

Improbable Objects Artist Reception
2025-11-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Five pillars of the Comox Valley Art scene are collaborating to bring their varied artistic endeavours to Artful : The Gallery with the exhibition “Improbable Objects”. Collaborating for inspiration has always been a productive creative strategy, and this exhibition reflects the varied sensibilities of the artists: Ed Varney, Marci Katz, Martha Jablonski-Jones, Jeff Hartbower and Bill Friesen.

The absurdity and illogical scenes of Surrealism and Dadaism led the to the overall theme for this exhibition. From there, each artist followed their own creative path into the dreamlike imagery. The broad variety of artistic expression utilized by this group of artists includes printmaking, collage, painting, sculpture, drawings, paintings and contributes to the unexpected juxtapositions created by their artworks. The result is a playful exhibition of contrasts with bizarre and uncanny combinations to stimulate the unconscious; the ultimate source of creative freedom.

“Improbable Objects” runs at Artful : The Gallery November 26 thru December 20. Join us for the Artist Reception, Saturday, November 29th, 7-9 pm. Regular gallery hours are Weds to Sat, 12-5pm. The gallery is located at 526C Cumberland Rd, in Courtenay.

Erotic Poetry & Artist Reception for Eros & Psyche Exhibition
2026-02-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Three Comox Valley Poets bring their erotic poetic selves to celebrate the opening of the “Eros & Psyche” exhibition at Artful : The Gallery. The Artist Reception will begin with poetic performances by Liza Hughes, Joanna Finch and Toni Dunne, from 7-8pm. The evening will conclude with the artist reception for the exhibition featuring the artworks of Tessa Nunn, Annette Nieukerk, Joyce Ozier, Tannis Hopkins, Matthew Hildebrandt, Nicky Evans, Gary Dillon and Rosemary Burden.

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace*
2026-03-21 10:00 - 16:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
On Saturday, March 21st, Courtenay printmaker Clive Powsey is having a one day pop-up exhibition of hand-drawn, printed and tinted intaglio impressions at Artful : The Gallery on Cumberland Road in Courtenay.
Powsey has used a ‘savage’ rigorous prompt to elicit critique and assessment of hundreds of his prints from the large language model, ChatGPT. Only the highest scoring images will be included in the show, the content of which was decided by AI. Also on hand will be the prompt, an artist statement outlining the metrics of selection, a curator’s statement generated by ChatGPT, and samples of the critiques which are, of course, mindless probabilistic arrangements of words determined by the prompt and the training of the model on vast amounts of art historical and critical writing.
There will also be a folio of rejected images and sample critiques for comparison. The show’s name comes from the title of a 1967 poem by Richard Brautigan*. Beyond any questions that might exist regarding the art imagery, the exhibition asks the question of visitors, ‘How does human judgment and sensibility fare against that of machines?’
Visit the show and decide what you think.

Bridging Conversations
2026-05-20 12:00 - 2026-06-13 17:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
We are a group of six Comox Valley visual artists with varied backgrounds and life experiences. For the past few years we have been meeting monthly to share stories of challenge, inspiration, and creative processes. Conversations that go off in unexpected directions have created a space of shared reflection resulting in connection.
Bridging Conversations celebrates individuality woven into community—a visual manifestation of stories exchanged and growth witnessed and experienced. We are abstract artists; we are representational artists. We paint with different mediums. Our work ranges from nonobjective to figurative, from boldly expressive to quietly meditative. We come from diverse cultures and have followed varied artist paths. What unites us is our commitment to the belief that art is a vital tool for connection. Stories that tie together with threads of curiosity and identity open up our individual worlds to one another, and the effects of what is known as adjacent possibilities (the inadvertant shift in what is possible resulting from an action taken) come out on the canvas. Despite our differences, we bring the “other” inside our boundaries.
Division often dominates headlines, as the world is quite fractured. We share what happens when people come together with open minds and creative hearts. Through this exhibition, we invite viewer into our circle—to feel the energy of collaboration, the vulnerability of shared experience, and the beauty of seeing the world through multiple lenses. For it to be a full conversation there is a ‘call and response’ involving the artist and the viewer, as happens in an exhibit space. We learn and grow separately and together. We welcome this opportunity to present a curated selection of paintings reflecting the whole of our experience.

Bridging Conversations Artist Reception
2026-05-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Join artists Sharon Lalonde, Laurie Martz, Corina Menz, Jenny Mitchell, Miriam Myers and Elaine Smith at the artist reception in celebration of their exhibition at Artful : The Gallery.

Tin Town Cafe Member Show – Closing TODAY
2026-06-03 00:00 - 23:59 | Tin Town Cafe, 2456 Rosewall Crescent #106, Courtenay, BC, V9N 8R9, Canada
CV/Arts first Tin Town Cafe Member show is closing today
CV/Arts and Tin Town Cafe have partnered to host a rotating exhibition series featuring work by current CV/Arts members. The salon-style hang in the cafe will rotate three times a year, giving multiple members regular opportunities to show and sell their work in a welcoming, high-traffic setting. The current member show features 27 works of art by 20 local artist members.
To apply for the next show visit our website

Art Opening Celebration (with Artist Talk by Michael Campbell) | Field Recordings of Icebergs Melting
2026-06-19 16:00 - 18:30 | Comox Valley Art Gallery, 580 Duncan Avenue, Courtenay, BC
ART OPENING CELEBRATION (WITH ARTIST TALK)
Field Recordings of Icebergs Melting by multi-media artist Michael Campbell will open at the Comox Valley Art Gallery on Friday, June 19. Doors open at 4:00pm to view the new exhibition.
At 5:30pm, there will be an artist talk, followed by a casual reception and hospitality. Everyone is welcome.
—

FIELD RECORDINGS OF ICEBERGS MELTING
Artist Michael Campbell’s multi-media exhibition “. . . brings into play its place in the cultural imagination of a frontier zone of extreme conditions, and its history during the period of European expansion from the 16th to the 20th centuries. The allusion conjures the stream of survey ships that sought the north-west Passage of the North Pole, strove to classify species and peoples, and to map the New World. It further speaks to present day resource extraction and climate change monitoring, the forays of animal rights activists and increasingly, military survey flights asserting territorial claims. . . . Its steam punk ethos with its fusion of Victorian Era and future technologies sets an undercurrent of planetary emergency in motion. . . .” – Jan Allen
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The Comox Valley Art Gallery is committed to creating safer spaces where everyone can participate.
All ages are welcome.
CVAG spaces are accessible. Efforts are made to make presented programming contents available to all by using approachable audio and visual technologies to aid in experience and wayfinding. Staff are available to answer any questions and to provide orientation to the presentation and gallery spaces.
Programs are barrier-free (no cost). DONATIONS are appreciated and contribute to ongoing community interactive programming.
PUBLIC HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS: we ask that visitors choose not to visit if they are experiencing symptoms of colds and flus.
Hand sanitation dispensers are available at CVAG. Wearing a mask is at the discretion of the visitor.

Ian Fry Exhibition: Landscapes of Light
2026-06-24 12:00 - 2026-07-18 17:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Ian Fry: Landscapes of Light
This exhibition celebrates the work of Ian Fry, a painter whose distinctive vision has been shaped by his remarkable journey from Scotland to the Pacific Northwest. Born in Edinburgh and educated at the Glasgow School of Art, Fry began his career as a successful illustrator before dedicating himself fully to painting. Over the past three decades, he has developed a body of work that captures the enduring spirit of the landscapes he calls home.
Drawing inspiration from Vancouver Island, Bowen Island, and the wider coastal regions of British Columbia, Fry’s paintings reveal an intimate understanding of light and atmosphere. Expansive shorelines, distant mountain ranges, rolling grasslands, and quiet rural scenes are rendered with a striking balance of realism and lyrical interpretation. Whether depicting waves advancing toward a misted beach, horses moving through open country, or birds silhouetted against a luminous sky, his work conveys both grandeur and stillness.
Fry’s background in illustration is evident in the clarity of his compositions and his ability to distill complex scenes into powerful visual narratives. His paintings invite contemplation, encouraging viewers to experience the rhythms of nature and the fleeting qualities of weather, season, and light. His restrained palette and masterful handling of atmosphere create spaces that feel simultaneously familiar and dreamlike.
Throughout the exhibition, themes of journey, belonging, and connection to the natural world emerge. The landscapes are not simply records of specific locations but meditations on our relationship with the environments that shape us. In Fry’s hands, the coastlines, mountain valleys, and open fields become places of wonder and quiet emotional resonance.
Ian Fry’s paintings remind us that landscape remains one of the most powerful vehicles for storytelling, expressing both the beauty of the visible world and the deeper currents of our human experience in nature.
Artist Reception Saturday, June 27, 7-9pm. 526C Cumberland Rd in Courtenay, BC. Exhibition runs thru July 18, 2026. Gallery hours Weds to Sat, 12-5pm. Visit www.artfulthegallery.com for more information.

'Iconography + Identity' at the Campbell River Art Gallery
2026-07-04 13:00 - 15:00 | campbell river art gallery, 1235 Shoppers Row, campbell river, BC, V9W2C7, Canada
The Campbell River Art Gallery invites you to an artful afternoon full of personal interests, admiration, and identity exploration!
On Saturday July 4th from 1 – 3PM artist Aoife Mckirgan will be hosting a workshop where participants will look at what they hold sacred, whether it be pop-culture, environments, or personal experiences, to create a collage and drawing based portrait on paper. Explore using symbolism and iconography to make a representation of who you are when identities are broken down to simple imagery rather than realism!
Bring your enthusiasm for all that interests you!
For all ages and experience levels!
>REGISTER NOW ONLINE AT https://www.crartgallery.ca/events/#!event/register/2026/7/4/iconography-identity
About the Artist:
Aoife McKirgan is a painter and coloured-pencil artist whose work draws inspiration from her own childhood and contemporary pop culture. Through her art, she explores themes of idolization, gender stereotypes, and personal identity.
She includes the use of pop-culture and everyday imagery in her work to hopefully create connection among viewers through shared interest and experiences.

Venue
Campbell River Art Gallery

Address
1235 Shoppers RowCampbell River BC V9W 2C7, CA

Starts
Sat Jul 4 2026, 1:00pm PDT

Ends
Sat Jul 4 2026, 3:00pm PDT

Words with Jess Housty
2026-07-12 11:00 - 12:30 | campbell river art gallery, 1235 Shoppers Row, campbell river, BC, V9W2C7, Canada
Experience the magic of live poetry at the Campbell River Art Gallery on July 12th and take part in a very special Sunday event with award-winning, bestselling poet Jess Housty!
Jess will be reading poems from their soon to be released book ‘How to Nourish a Cannibal’ followed by a group discussion and Q+A!
Register now online to save your spot at https://www.crartgallery.ca/events/#!event/register/2026/7/12/words-with-jess-housty
About Jess Housty:
Jess is a Haíɫzaqv parent, land-based educator, and award-winning poet living in their homelands in the community of Bella Bella, BC.
Jess serves their Haíɫzaqv community as the Executive Director of Qqs (Eyes) Projects Society, and serves the wider BC Central Coast region as the Lead at Coastal Foodways. They also work as a Co-Lead with the Right Relations Collaborative in support of just and equitable relationships between Indigenous changemakers and the philanthropic sector.

Venue
Campbell River Art Gallery

Address
1235 Shoppers RowCampbell RiverBCV9W 2C7,CA

Starts
Sun Jul 12 2026, 11:00am PDT

Ends
Sun Jul 12 2026, 12:30pm PDT

Listening to the Land with Vanessa Sharkey
2026-07-18 10:00 - 13:00 | campbell river art gallery, 1235 Shoppers Row, campbell river, BC, V9W2C7, Canada
Explore the forest and learn from the plants with guide Vanessa Sharkey on Saturday July 18th hosted by the Campbell River Art Gallery!
Participants and staff will meet at the gallery at 10AM then travel to the chosen location together. Participants are responsible for their own transportation, food, hydration and ensuring they are properly equipped for the 2-3 hour walk.
>REGISTER NOW ONLINE AT https://www.crartgallery.ca/events/#!event/register/2026/7/18/listening-to-the-land-with-vanessa-sharkey
‘There are so many plants out there that signify protection. Very unassuming ones. There are plants that subtly show us what’s to come when the season changes, and once we learn about them and what they are capable of, our mindset shifts and the plants teach us a lot about ourselves.’ –Vanessa Sharkey
Vanessa is part of CorVee, a collaboration of outdoor knowledge with Cory Cliffe. From survival, plant identification, medicinal harvesting and invasive species control they share our knowledge everywhere they go.

Venue
Campbell River Art Gallery

Address
1235 Shoppers RowCampbell RiverBCV9W 2C7,CA

Starts
Sat Jul 18 2026, 10:00am PDT

Ends
Sat Jul 18 2026, 1:00pm PDT
