Current Exhibit

CLAY 2024 – PASSIONATE ABOUT CLAY  March 20, 2024 – April 20, 2024
by members of the Fraser Valley Potters Guild Association 

Opening reception Saturday, Mar 23 from  1 to  3 pm
at the O’Connor Group  Art Gallery, 9201 Corbould St Chilliwack.

Annually we have a Juried Exhibition in rotating communities.  This promotes excellence in the art and craft of ceramics and encourages members to explore new areas of their practice and develop and refine contemporary work for show submission.

The work can include sculpture, functional pottery, wall art and, personal adornment.  The Juror selects the work for the show as well as recipients for Awards in Open and Student Categories.

It’s all about CLAY and we are PASSIONATE about our work and love sharing it with others.

Watch the video of the exhibit.

UPCOMING EXHIBITS

ART 33 – High School Art Show  April 24 – May 25, 2024 
by Chilliwack’s high school artists 

Opening reception Saturday April 27, 2024 from  1 to  3 pm
at the O’Connor Group  Art Gallery, 9201 Corbould St Chilliwack.

Experience the creativity of Chilliwack’s high school artists at our annual District SD33 art show. Discover the unique perspectives and innovative expressions of our talented students. Artists will showcase their work through various 2D and 3D mediums. Join us in celebrating our talented youth!

Apr 24 2024 – May 25 2024 School District33
May 29 2024 –    Jun 1 2024 Chilliwack Society for Community Living
Jun 5 2024 –        Jul 6 2024  Nino Dobra Savljevic & Iryna Kharina
Jul 10 2024 –   Aug 10 2024  Chilliwack Visual Artists Association
Aug 14 2024 –  Sep 14 2024  Vickie Legere
Sep 18 2024 –   Oct 19 2024 Chilliwack Visual Artist Association
Oct 23 2024 –  Nov 23 2024 Art in the Country  
 

PAST EXHIBITS

WATER    February 14 – March 16 2024 by members of the Chilliwack Artists Association

Water is a powerful force that has inspired artists for centuries. From the vastness of the ocean to the serenity of a mountain stream, water evokes a wide range of emotions and ideas. Ancient peoples traveled the oceans, for a thousand years the Inuit have lived in a climate of ice and water, we drink it, we bathe in it, and we use it for our leisure. Water is one of the most important elements to the survival of all life its importance can not be understated. To explore the subject there is no end to the inspiration it can provide.

In this show, the CVAA takes a look at the impact water has on us culturally, scientifically, and artistically.

Watch the show on Youtube 

PAST, PRESENT AND SLIGHTLY OFF CENTRE    January 10 – February 10 2024 
at the O’Connor Group  Art Gallery, 9201 Corbould St Chilliwack.

A Solo Exhibition featuring Chilliwack artist Dan Daulby.

Inspired by his Ojibway and Celtic ancestry the artist presents an exhibition featuring images
of warriors, religion, robots, horses, lust, love and the bizarre portrayed in an explosion of colour, gritty, dramatic at times seemingly pointless.

In a journey to discover his own voice as an artist this exhibition is a journey down a road well travelled.

Watch the video of Dan Daulby’s work.

GOLDEN MEAN  by FYBRT 2RT    December 6  –   January 6 2023
at the O’Connor Group  Art Gallery, 9201 Corbould St Chilliwack.

Visual harmony has been observed in the ancient worlds of Greece, Babylon and Egypt. The proportion known as the Golden Mean resulted from the ratio of 1 to 1.618 and is incorporated into buildings such as the Parthenon and Stonehenge. This symmetry is visually very pleasing and can be used by artists and architects when designing.

The Fibonacci Sequence is associated with the Golden Mean as the proportion are virtually the same. It is reflected in nature in the shape and numbers of their creation. You will find it in the spiral of a shell, plants and even bone structure. In Fibonacci’s sequence each number in the sequence is determined by adding together the previous two numbers and so on into infinity.

Tertiary colours are a combination of primary and secondary colors. The complementary colour pairs lay opposite each other on the colour wheel. One such set is yellow/orange and blue/violet.
The artists were challenged to create interpretations of visual harmony with the above proportions using tertiary colour pairs.

FRASER VALLEY BIENNIAL 2023 November 2 –   December 2 2023

The Chilliwack Visual Arts Association at the O’Connor Group Gallery is excited to present a selection of works from the 2023 Fraser Valley Biennial, organized and circulated by The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford. Now in its seventh edition, the Biennial showcases exceptional artwork produced by artists in the Fraser Valley region over the past two years. The overarching theme of the 2023 Fraser Valley Biennial is the body and its relationship to countless aspects of the corporeal, sensorial, psychological, and intellectual human experience. Featured in the are works by Sarah Louise Brammer, Olivia de Fleuriot Perry, Amy Dyck, Michael Doerksen, Kat Grabowski, Paula Funk, Davida Kidd, Lorena Krause, Russell Leng, Luke Pardy, Amberlie Perkin, Cobi Timmermans, Devon Riley, Laura Rosengren, Jennifer Shepit, Tracie Stewart, Erica Grimm, Ellen Scobie, Shel Stefan, and Qahraman Yousif. In these works, the twelve artists work with, and through, notions of the body as a vessel of experience; the sexualized body as a form of either oppression or liberation; gestures and traces of the labouring body; pain, disease, and disability, as well as strength, resilience, and power; bodily metaphors in the language of technology; humans’ relationship with imagined microbial communities; and more. This year’s edition of the Fraser Valley Biennial is guest-curated by Candace Couse. An assistant professor of visual art at the University of the Fraser Valley’s School of Creative Arts, Couse is a grateful guest on the traditional and unceded territory of the Stó:lō People. Couse earned an MFA from The University of Calgary (2010) and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Humanities from Brock University (2020). Couse’s work has been exhibited across Canada, as well as in the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Trinidad, Pakistan, Nepal, Iceland, and India.

CHOREOGRAPHY OF TRUST   by a collective of women artists from Europe and Canada September 30- October 28  2023 The Choreography of Trust exhibition is a gathering of drawings, video and sculpture created by a collective of women artists from Europe and Canada. The objects in the exhibition represent their individual and collective sensibilities of place. The artists have been gathering monthly (via Zoom) to draw, meditate and connect since lockdown in 2020. The artists made artwork during their self-directed artists residency in response to this place – the Fraser Valley. This residency was the first time the artists have been able to meet – in person. The artists will talk about that experience during the opening reception where a silent auction of the artworks will be offered, and the artists will be on-site Oct 3rd for a casual meet n greet. Choreography of Trust is a collective of women artists living miles, and in some cases continents apart, who come together as a result of the world’s enforced isolation. We assemble online through our shared sensibilities in practice, aesthetic, and desire to capture and celebrate our individual and collective responses to place – physically and spiritually. We gather to share ways of seeing, documenting, and holding these creative spaces in which we live. It is the differences within our geographies that resonate and complement each other’s creative topographies. Our monthly meetings are united through an understanding of drawing as a choreography of trust – nurtured in process, material exploration, and mark-making.

TRANSFORMATION   by members of the Chilliwack Visual Artists Association August 26 – September 23 2023 1400, Church Latin “transformationem” “change of shape” Metamorphosis, change, conversion, transition, modification, alteration, transfiguration – there are a number of synonyms that allow for varied interpretations of the word “Transformation”. As a group of artists, the task we set before ourselves was to decide what would be our own individual visual interpretation of the word ‘transformation’. Day into night, a change of shape, larva to butterfly, winter to spring – the interpretations seem endless yet, for each artist, the task will take on a meaning that they assign to it. The only guide on this endeavor is the word itself. This will be an exciting art exhibit with many surprising interpretations, an exhibition we hope you, the viewer, will enjoy. To see the video of this show, click here.

AS WEE SEE IT  by Jeanette Heathman, Bev Mulldoon and Julie Biancolin

July 19 – August 19 ,  2023

Three local artists, Jeanette Heathman, Julie Biancolin and Bev Mulldoon are excited to present an exhibition of their original creations of art from July 19 to August 19 at the O’Connor Art Gallery in Chilliwack, BC. Each artist has experimented with other mediums such as oils, pastels and watercolours, but over time have settled on using mainly acrylic paint to express the vast and amazing shapes and colours found in nature. Objects such as old buildings, old vehicles and animals naturally found in their surroundings, also catch their eye. Each are passionate to capture the essence of nature in a realistic style. They have titled their collective work  ‘As We See It’. You are invited to visit the gallery during the show, to see their work.

Marvel at abstract visions created by light and shadow as well as line and shape.  The unique combination of a camera lens and each photographer’s intuitive eye brings their artistic vision to life.  Today’s photographer can harness the power of technology in digital cameras and computer software.  The greatest tool, however, is the passion that drives one to pick up the camera and search for images through its lens.  Share the joy of photography and experience the creativity and skill of photographers who love to be behind the scenes. To see the artists’s work, click here to watch the video

IMPRESSIONS  THROUGH THE LENS presented by the Abbotsford Photo Arts Club   

June 14 – July 15,  2023

Showcasing the talents of local photographers, this exhibit by the Abbotsford Photo Arts Club offers a fresh visual experience of local scenes, creative compositions, and unexpected views.  From the moment they look through a camera lens and feel a sense of discovery, these photographers are driven to create images.  Their passion permeates the process from capture to final editing. See natural beauty as captured by gifted photographers through their lenses.  They have produced images that unlock the viewer’s imagination, allowing them to find the stories within the photographs. Marvel at abstract visions created by light and shadow as well as line and shape.  The unique combination of a camera lens and each photographer’s intuitive eye brings their artistic vision to life.  Today’s photographer can harness the power of technology in digital cameras and computer software.  The greatest tool, however, is the passion that drives one to pick up the camera and search for images through its lens.  Share the joy of photography and experience the creativity and skill of photographers who love to be behind the scenes. Video Impression

CSCL ART EXTRAVAGANZA  by Artists of the Chilliwack Society for Community Living   

June 7 – 10, 2023 The various artists whose work is displayed here, find inspiration through many facets of their life, some of which include community, the beauty of nature, acceptance, and the freedom of imagination.

On June 7-10, the Chilliwack Society for Community Living would like to invite you to our showing at the O’Connor Group Art Gallery.  We are excited to have the opportunity to share with you the works created by the budding artists at CSCL. Our vision is for a community that welcomes and includes everyone! We will be a centre of excellence that inspires belonging, connection, and community.

INSPIRE by Members of the Chilliwack Visual Artists Association 

March 29 – April 29 2023

‘To fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative”. The word inspire originates from the Latin word īnspīrāe ”to breathe or blow into”, perhaps meaning to encourage tiny embers into ignition. The artist has in their lives things or moments that inspire their creative output. Whether it’s the beauty of nature, the music they listen to, the relationships they have with others, or a daydream that sparks a thought, the list is vast like grains of sand on a beach. As you peruse this exhibition, reflect, if you will, on the numerous creative fires that burned in each individual as they took that spark and breathed life into it. Each of these artists was inspired to create images that were birthed from a moment that resonated with them.  The end result of that spark is presented here to be shared with you, the viewer.

ART33 by Senior Students of the Chilliwack School District May 3 – June 3 2023 ART33 is the annual showcase of the senior art students who are enrolled in School District 33’s high school art programs. The artworks showcased in this exhibition are responses to projects in a variety of courses offered at the high school level as juried by the art teachers during the 2022-23 school year.  Students are encouraged to share their personal taste and experiences through drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, digital art, ceramics, sculpture, and animation. For some students, this is a start of career in the arts and for others this is a demonstration of their love for the arts. This is a very exciting year for the students and their teachers as this will be the first exhibition of their work since the 2020 ART33 show was canceled due to the pandemic.

MOORED by Lilly Thorne, Jane Everett and Lysle Barmby

February 22 – March 25, 2023

The members of the  Davis Road collective share a passion for the trees and lakes of the interior of BC. The concept for Moorage came out of an antique store to find. The Toby, an 8’ folding boat made by hand, caused the three artists to reflect on the changing nature of the lakes and forests of the interior as a refuge from urbanization. Part memory and part nostalgia the installation is a statement of longing for a connection with the earth uncoupled from endless commercialization and for a recognition that what seems timeless is in fact fragile and cannot be taken for granted. The health of the trees is the hum in the background of how we view summers at the lake. The experience of the seasonal trek to the campsite or cabin is deeply embedded in our national psyche and intimately connected with the trees of BC. Lysle Barmy’s photos on metal, Jane Everett’s charcoal drawings and Lilly Thorne’s printed and embroidered fabric come together to evoke in the audience their own memories and experience of the lake.

VIBRANCY OF COLOUR & LIGHT by Patricia Jaster

Jan 18 2023 – February 18 2023

“Experiencing the brilliance of nature inspiring the mind, feeling the breakers thunder, the brewing storms, the brilliant sunny hues, creating pure flow of colour, fleeting movement of form, inspiring the creative mind & above all putting brush to paper to create unique expressions of hues, colours & values drawing the viewer into sweet personal memories”

THREADS OF HOPE by the Fiber Art Network  

Dec 14 2022 – Jan 14 2023 Threads of Hope’ by FAN (Fibre Art Network) is an exhibition exploring our hope, longing, and desire for the future of the world.

‘Do you long for a peaceful, harmonious society and healthy earth? Do you desire reconciliation, forgiveness, unity, healing, and balance? Do you hope for positive solutions to any of today’s issues?’ What can one person do when it comes to global issues? Is there hope or hopelessness? It is surprising what can be accomplished if we work together, join forces and play off each other – the butterfly effect. We need to start paying attention to the world we live in. But where do we start? Can it start with something as simple as a smile? Make somebody’s day and they may make someone else’s day; by passing it forward. Or is it a matter of global awareness of an issue? Or maybe it is an attitude of caring toward strangers or a concern for the health of the earth and your own environment? Is the preponderance of disasters around the world a sign of things to come? Will it get worse or better? Are there too many things going wrong to possibly cure them all? We challenged our members to speak regarding world issues that are meaningful to them. These exhibition pieces will flow from one to the other with a ‘thread of hope’ connecting them. Thus, completing a line of artists, and joining forces to improve our world.

WINGS, SYMBOLS AND MYTHS  by Members of the Chilliwack Visual Artists Association Nov 2  – Dec 10 2022 Man has always looked to symbols to represent an object, a function, or a process. Symbols created by the ancients often cloaked in mystery and the supernatural, walked hand in hand with cultural myths handed down from generation to generation. Today we recognize symbols as part of our everyday life whether we are obeying a stop sign or adding emojis to our emails. It would be difficult to find a culture that does not have stories or myths that have been passed down throughout the centuries. Whether it be aboriginal stories, Greek Myths, or Norse folk-tales, these myths live through the years as they teach and inform future generations. Artists have brought these stories and characters to life through their drawings, paintings, prints, and carving. Their individual styles have endured through time as well. Prominent in many myths are winged creatures. As a symbol, wings represent the ability to soar and reach heights otherwise unattainable. A powerful symbol, wings have been used to indicate success, aspiration, purity, and freedom. Variations on winged creatures occur in many cultures and are among the most used mythological images used by artists worldwide. In this exhibit, the artists of the Chilliwack Visual Artist’s Association present their interpretations of this intriguing, multi-faceted theme.

FROM DUNES TO DOLLARS, DUBAI’S XTRAORDINARY JOURNEY by Michael & Steve Hamilton – Clark Sep 22 – Oct 29  2022 The Exhibition “From Dunes to Dollars – Dubai’s Xtraordinary Journey – A Pictorial Odyssey 1965 – 2015” will showcase photographs taken by father and son team, Michael and Steve Hamilton-Clark. Why the Exhibition? Because Michael and Steve wanted to share their unique photographic journey being witness to Dubai’s emergence from a small town on a tidal creek in the Arabian Gulf to a world-renowned city of superlatives, making Dubai today not just a destination, but a global brand. Michael worked there from 1965 to 1971 and again from 1981 to 1991. Steve worked there between 1995 and 2015. During this overall 50-year period Dubai changed from an almost unknown community of 40,000 living in mostly coral-block and palm-frond buildings to become a metropolis of now some 2.9 million people, full of crazy superlatives such as the Burj al Arab, the world’s only 7-star hotel, the Burj Khalifa the world’s tallest building at 924m, the Palm Island, a man-made island that can be seen from space. Michael and Steve hope that Exhibition visitors will leave with insights into these remarkable changes and appreciate how profound they were in making Dubai the global brand it is today. Whilst initial development was enabled with oil revenues, these declined significantly, but by then Dubai was becoming an international trading hub initiated in great part by the vision of the Ruler, Sheikh Rashid and continued by his son Sheikh Mohammed, the present Ruler.

CONVERGENCE  by Patricia Peters, Holly McKeen and George Rychter Aug 10 – September 17  2022 Three diverse artists sharing a connected aesthetic sense have come together to present “CONVERGENCE”.  This exciting exhibition and sale demonstrate the merging of their unique artistic sentiments into a unified whole. PATRICIA PETERS, is a contemporary landscape artist, who creates vivid images, using her unique language of colour to illustrate her response to the world around us and in particular, her ongoing conversation with the land. GEORGE RYCHTER, as a digital artist, his work is born using computer algorithms to wildly manipulate a photo image, so as to transform it into something that he then colours. Ultimately the artwork is made into a light jet print on white aluminium. HOLLY MCKEEN enjoys the study of complex surfaces in crystalline and special effect glazes while seeking movement and elegant curves in her porcelain creations.  Both surface and form come together as one in the ceramic artistry of this collection. The gathering of their new works captures a shared interpretation of movement, energy, and natural forms, in a bold and fresh presentation.

BLAZING COLOURS   by Hussein Rostum Jun 29 – Aug 6 2022 Hussein Rostum’s exhibition is a joyous celebration of colour. His unique creations range from exuberant explorations that excite the imagination to profound pieces that calm the soul. His paintings use vivid, compelling colour combinations to tell evocative stories. This July, Hussein’s show will brighten the O’Connor Group Art Gallery walls.“My goal as an artist is to create aesthetic expressions of colour on canvas that appeal, engage, and inspire. I hope my paintings can encourage people to make art and beauty an ongoing presence in their own lives, as it is in mine.”Hussein was fortunate to have grown up in an art-loving family. His father was a well-known architect and artist, schooled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Hussein and his siblings spent many happy childhood hours refining their artistic talents as they studied under their father’s careful tutelage. Indeed, practicing techniques in dad’s studio was a favourite pastime for the whole family.As a proud Chilliwack resident with an international background, Hussein draws artistic inspiration partly from our beautiful surroundings, and partly from his travels. After growing up in Egypt, Hussein moved to Ottawa and established several successful businesses. These allowed him to travel extensively, developing an admiration for the many unique styles of art around the world.His recent paintings explore impressionistic abstract motifs while retaining a grounding sense of balance and structure. His exhibition this summer at the O’Connor Group Art Gallery conjures the freedom and joy of his continuing journey in art.

VISIONS AND PERSPECTIVES by Christine Newsome, Betty Meiszner, Dianne Hultgen, and Vicki Ray May 18  – June 15 2022 Artists Christine Newsome, Betty Meiszner, Dianne Hultgren, and Vicki Ray will be exhibiting their current work at the O’Connor Group Gallery in the Chilliwack Cultural Centre from May 18 to June 25, 2022. The four women were brought together by Christine Newsome’s mixed media collage classes at Eldercollege. They were founding members of the Chilliwack Collage Collective and have continued to meet regularly to encourage and motivate each other. Christine Newsome continues to work with mixed media collage. She takes her inspiration from history and anthropology, layering colour, texture and image instinctively to create mystery and meaning.

    • Vicki Ray’s medium is also mixed media collage. She enjoys composition and simplicity, often with a dash of humour. Betty Meiszner’s encaustics and mixed media pieces are informed by her childhood growing up in Chilliwack on the family farm….and by her passion for travel. Dianne Hultgren’s representational landscapes and still-lifes are drawn from her love of nature and sun-filled days growing up in the B.C.’s Okanagan.

FIGURATION AND ABSTRACTION by Jeannette Bittman, Karen Ireland, Mary-Lee Merz April 6 – May 14 2022 “The imagination is integrative.” Our brains begin to coalesce towards calm and creative insight as we age. Then the left/practical and right/creative can freely communicate. Jeannette Bittman, Karen Ireland, and Mary-Lee Merz express this integration as they explore “Figuration and Abstraction” through painting, printmaking, clay, glass, and mixed media.Jeannette Bittman, a psychologist, is fascinated with human emotion as expressed in language.  As an artist, she is intrigued with the representation of emotion through geometry and color.  Her art, drawing, painting, and sculptures, focuses on how the figure can represent feelings through the use of color, light, line, and mark-making. Paradoxically, often the meaning is in the spaces and shadows surrounding the figure.Karen Ireland is currently obsessed with portrait-painting-backwards-on-glass.  In this practice, she seeks to reflect the character of a model through the unpredictability of the paint being applied on the opposite side of the glass and is ultimately fascinated by both front and back images.  Her current preoccupation with this process has not negated her historical addiction to 3D experimentation with found objects often used in concert with warm glass.  Mary-Lee Merz is by profession an educator and by choice an artist. Her observations of movement, pattern, colour, and shape in nature inform her drawings, ecoprints, and paintings. There is a “natural” vocabulary that emerges through the process of observation and using this information, Mary-Lee explores all possibilities. The result is her detailed drawings and paintings that express both  Figuration and Abstraction.

THE POWER OF COLOUR by the Federation of Canadian Artists – Fraser Valley Chapter February 23 – April 2 2022 Colour really does speak. It can be used to convey levels of energy and movement, mood or concepts. Whether highly saturated or soft, greyed hues we can recognize artists by their use of colour. How much is deliberate and structured? How much is intuitive? Colour is used to convey a sense of the artists themselves, their personal vision and individual style. It appeals to our emotions and grabs people’s hearts. The artists are encouraged to really think about how they use colour. Can we let intuition rule in order to produce new and exciting work, experiment with different colours on our palettes or use paint in a different style? The challenge is change through colour. The intensity and complexity of the colour scheme promotes an emotional reaction to our paintings.

NATURAL EXPRESSIONS by the Chilliwack Visual Artists Association January 11 – February 19 2022

    • Nature in the broadest sense is an inspirational theme for all art forms. This exhibit focuses on the unique natural expressions of CVAA featured artists through their various visual art mediums, both in the abstract and by realistic images. The diversity of these artists’ interpretations is stimulating, emphasizing how nature is both all around us and deep within us.

DRAWN TO CLAY is an exhibition of Ted Driediger’s fifty-year journey “living the dream.” December 3 2021 – January 7 2022 “I believe that freedom to explore encourages artistic growth; out of old ideas new ideas are hatched and developed. Moving on from market trends, my work has transitioned from functional to expressive. It has evolved in line, form, colour, and scale, from one medium – clay – to multiple media including paint, pastels, pen, and ink.” “Throwing at my wheel is where I have always been the most comfortable. Lately, I have felt more freedom to take greater risks and experiment in hand building. Also, my lifelong interest in drawing has been renewed although reaching into new territory for me – Plein Air and Life Drawing. I enjoy sitting outdoors, focusing on a grove of trees, proud heritage structures, or a rail fence; and line by line bringing to life my interpretation on paper.” “Why do I want to do, what I do? Why do children enjoy creating mud pies or making ‘stuff’? Is it just play? Or could it be an inherent desire to make something that is pleasing to the eye and senses? Whatever it is, I have always, and still do, love the art of making. I consider my work a success if it communicates this love to those who see it.”  

CHROMATOPIA & FOR THE BIRDS September 22 – October 9, 2021 FAN (Fibre Art Network) is a co-operative of self-defined artists based in Western Canada. We are thrilled to be showcasing the artwork of more than 60 artists. Each artist was challenged to explore their own individual interpretation for these two theme-based exhibits. Chromatopia was inspired by Picasso’s monochromatic works in his blue period. The exhibition visually explores the colour spectrum while preserving the unique individualistic style of each artist. Pieces move through the spectrum in one direction on top and the reverse on the bottom. The viewer will be drawn to the distinct themes explored by each individual artist while supporting the inclusivity of the spectrum. For The Birds, depicts each artists personal interpretation of an aspect of a bird’s life, interests and interactions with the world it inhabits, or is inspired by a bird-related idiom or adage.

VANTAGE POINTS  presents the artworks by Sandra Wiens and Pierre Tremblay. February 12- march 21 2020 VANTAGE POINTS  Painters Pierre Tremblay and Sandra Wiens present two different approaches to traditional subjects. Pierre Tremblay’s lifestyle and travels have become a great source of inspiration. Often, during time spent away from home, he finds himself capturing spontaneous images or situations that will later become subjects for his artwork. In the studio, the intention is to capitalize on the imagery, using it to initiate the painting process. This series of paintings focuses on the delicate balance between the snapshot and application of paint. This approach enables him to develop a style where space and shape gain in importance, allowing surprises to happen through the process of painting. The relationship between the original photographic composition and the final painting remains interconnected. However, what becomes more important is the way the artist layers colours and patterns in a dynamic, personal, full of life interpretation. Sandra Wien’s goal is not to represent a specific place visited, but to examine human-constructed ideas of what a “good” landscape is. These are not landscapes that we live with daily, but are ideas of beauty that exist only in our minds such as: the peaceful valley, the unscale-able peak, serene waters and stormy skies. It is not lost on her that historically our desire to hang landscapes in our homes has coincided with political and cultural change and that our present interest in landscape painting exists at a time when our environment is under pressure. With this in the back of her mind, she plays with how much she can pull apart, leave out and pile on top of a composition before an image disintegrates into meaningless chaos.

ABSTRACTX2  artworks by Marion-Lea Jamieson and Lorrie Wager January 4 – February 8 2020 Marion-Lea and Lorrie share the visual language of abstract art, taking apart the visual experience and focusing on colour, shape, line, and form. From abstraction to abstracted still lives each work demonstrates the physical joy of being a part of the creative process. Lorrie’s art is produced by adding paint, ink, crayons and collage to fabric interfacing, each piece is built on layers of colour, texture and line. Her art is described as Abstracted Still-Lives. Lorrie hopes that her audience will be enveloped by the colour and texture and drawn into a unique visual experience. Marion-Lea uses large brushes loaded with oil paint to create a sense of colour and form flowing in time and space. Areas of colour create recognizable or improvisational forms of abstraction. The surfaces record the brush strokes communicating her engagement with the work and the improvisational, spontaneous yet controlled process of creation.

Upscale Art presents the artworks by members of the Chilliwack Visual Artists Assoc. November 20 – December 28 2019 Upscale Art, O’Connor Group Art Gallery’s upcoming exhibit, is the outcome of an exciting proposition to the members of the Chilliwack Visual Artists’ Association.  The Theme Challenge was to take something that might be discarded, or found at a garage sale, thrift store or recycle outlet and use the items to create interesting, high-quality art. You will see, for example, two unique items (photos attached) by Christine Newsome. The first is an upcycled metal tray with mixed media art called the Florentine Woman. In the second piece, In Sage’s Garden, Christine has converted an old letterpress tray into classy art by using assemblage and collage techniques. Christine is just one of over fifty members contributing to Upscale Art. 

CROSSROADS Art Show and Sale presents the artworks by Karlie Norrish McChesney. Crossroads: October 10 – Nov 16 2019 Karlie’s art making frequently explores her love of perspective and structural form.  Her art practice requires much measuring, calculating and arranging of colour, so much so that her work is a form of puzzle solving. Her preferred medium is fibre in the form of stitched textiles with an element of mixed media applied to the surface or standing as an installation accompanying the 2D work; these materials include paint, paper, plastic, metal, clay, and/or wood. This body of work is her response to a time of great change in her life, where many decisions were required. All the pieces of work contain a path representing the choices a person has available to them and a container representing the restrictions or parameters that influence the decision making process. Karlie is a retired art teacher from the Chilliwack School District.  She is an active member in SAQA (Studio Art Quilts Association), FAN (Fibre Art Network) and in the CVAA (Chilliwack Visual Artists Association). This is Karlie’s first solo exhibition and she is very excited to share it with you.

A TOUCH OF EARTH XII Art Show and Sale presents the artworks by Evelyn Zuberbier. EXPRESSIONS Aug 28 – Oct 5 2019 Evelyn paints a variety of subjects inspired by anything that excites her creative spirit.  She continues to paint regularly, entering shows with the Chilliwack Visual Artists Association as well as the Federation of Canadian Artists’ juried shows. Evelyn has won several Awards of Excellence. Evelyn is a founding member of the Chilliwack Visual Artists Association, as well as an honorary member. During her painting career, she was appointed by the Alberta Minister of Culture to the Board of the Alberta Art Foundation serving a three-year term. Her work has been shown in eight tours with the ‘Hands Across the Pacific’ Cultural Exchange touring the Orient.  Her artwork is found throughout the world in private collections. The former Prime Minister of Japan owns ‘Prairie Wagon’ a watercolor painting. Evelyn is excited about her 12th solo show and looks forward to seeing all of you there.

EXPRESSIONS Aug 7 – Aug 24 2019 Expressions, is a collection of art forms which reveal the passion and individuality of contributing Chilliwack Visual Artists. Bold, intuitive and playful expressions captured in sculptures, paintings, ceramics, multimedia, photographs and fabric art. Opening reception is Aug 10, 1-3 pm.  Everyone welcome. Come and see this fresh, new show at O’Connor Group Art Gallery.

THE WAY WE SEE IT July 4- Aug 3 2019 The Way We See It exhibit, featuring Chilliwack artists: Zidonja Ganert, Greg Laxton-Ekberg & Vickie Legere.  As artists we see the world through the eyes of wonder. Consciously or unconsciously we see possibilities & potential – assessing the light, composition, or shape & form; savoring the germ of an idea to be incorporated into a future piece of visual art, be it a painting or photograph.  We, as artists are free to explore any medium or visual style to express our message to the world.  The audience sees the world from the artists’ perspective – yet still has the freedom to experience their own interpretation & emotional response to the image displayed. We create art to say ‘something’ about what we feel about the subject – not just to make a pretty picture.Opening reception is July 6, 1-3pm.  Everyone welcome.

FRASER VALLEY REGIONAL BIENNALE  June 6 – June 29 2019 The Fraser Valley Regional Biennale is a dynamic, collective representation of exceptional artwork produced by artists in the Fraser Valley region over the past two years. Featured artists are David Evans, Christopher Friesen, Paula Funk, Joshua Hale, Fiona Howarth, Sharon Huget, Krista Kilvert, Linda Klippenstein, Dan LeFebvre, Karlie Norrish McChesney, Barb Pearson, Patricia Peters, Veronica Plewman, Rosa Quintana Lillo, Bob St. Cyr, Mandeep Wirk, Qahraman Yousif. Krista Kilvert

Barb Pearson

OPEN DOOR EXHIBIT by Chilliwack Society for Community Living May 29 – June 1 2019 The Open Door exhibit displays art pieces created by people who have a love and passion for art. Using their imaginations and abilities, the artists transfer that love onto canvas and other mediums creating a diverse and interesting show.  These talented artists are active and contributing members of their local community and participate in activities with the Chilliwack Society for Community Living (CSCL).

ART33 : April 17 – May 25 2019 ART33 is a showcase of the talent and creativity of students in Grade 10-12 from School District 33. All work has been completed as part of the art programs of Chilliwack Senior, G.W. Graham, The Education Center and Sardis Secondary and has been selected to be part of the exhibition by their teachers. Students are encouraged to share their personal taste and experience using a wide variety of techniques, themes and approaches.

PEOPLE AND PLACES : March 6 – April 13 2019 The exhibition “People and Places” at the O’Connor Group Art Gallery brings together the figurative photography of Graham Dowden and the landscape painting of Jeff Wilson.  Photographs of people in public places aim for a spontaneity that sometimes hints at the private life behind the public persona. In contrast, landscape painting is a more deliberate analysis of light and colour that aims to reflect the broader world.  This exhibition combines these separate traditions in a setting which emphasizes not their differences but what they have in common. Graham Dowden is a former University of the Fraser Valley English instructor turned photographer whose work has been shown in Vancouver, Surrey, Prince George, Nanaimo, Campbell River, Fort Langley, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Mission. His 2007 one-man show at the Mission Art Gallery was held in conjunction with the release of his book “Around Mission”. He lives in Chilliwack. Jeff Wilson is a Scottish-Canadian artist living and working in Vancouver.  Jeff has exhibited in a wide range of public art galleries in BC, Alberta, and Washington State, including 2018 shows at the Art Gallery of St. Albert and the Port Moody Arts Centre.  Jeff has received a number of awards, including Finalist in the inaugural Saltspring National Art Prize.  Jeff is represented by Hambleton Galleries in Kelowna and Van Dop Gallery in New Westminster.

WHOLE : January 23 – March 2 2019 Whole, a compilation of recent textile sculptures by Sylvie Roussel-Janssens. Her punctured translucent works are folding shapes inspired by origami and quilting tessellations. The exhibition is a selection of installations, wall mounted pieces and sculptures with integrated lighting. You will discover Sylvie’s textile and welded wire creations. Using recycled wire, she builds structures on which she

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stretches and sews synthetic fabric sections. With a soldering iron, the artist makes small holes in the fabric. The resulting forms glow with natural or artificial light. Sylvie is inspired by many traditional art and designs of the world, from Indigenous art of the America to Maori and Celtic art. Sylvie Roussel-Janssens has always been interested in environmental issues. With her new works, she shifted her focus on climate change and its effect on our emotional lives. From “Tools for a Modern World” to “Beech Tree Quintet”, she chooses to look for signs of resistance, resilience and adaptation in nature and in personal memories. Sylvie is making one small hole at a time to try and make sense of the whole world.

Hear and See: Poetry and Art for Mental Health’ December 13 2018 – January 19 Art and Poetry Exhibit Draws Attention to Mental Health Challenges Abbotsford, BC – Grace Robertson’s poetry is lyrical and reflective. She writes clearly and with purpose. Like many poets, her purpose is to give voice to the challenges with which she lives. Grace has struggled with an eating disorder for 8 years and writing poetry about her experience helps her process. She also hopes that those who read her poetry will learn from it. “My hope in writing this poem is that people would see that eating disorders are real,” says Grace, who lives in Chilliwack. “The pain is real. We are not horribly selfish people trying to ruin the beautiful bodies God gave us. We are hurting people trying desperately to find relief and worth in a world where we feel worthless.” Grace’s poem is one of 14 that will be on display in a unique installation called Hear and See: Poetry and Art for Mental Health, opening December 13th at the O’Conner Gallery in Chilliwack. Each of the 14 poets has been paired with an artist who has interpreted that poem visually. The exhibit is facilitated by Communitas Supportive Care Society, which supports people who live with mental health challenges. Communitas also supports people who live with developmental disabilities and acquired brain injury. This is the second installation of this exhibit; Hear and See was first shown at the Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford earlier this year. The exhibit was viewed by hundreds of people and nearly a hundred were in attendance for the Poetry Reading and Artist Talk that capped off the show. Many found the combination of word and image an effective way to draw awareness to mental health challenges. “I found it an engaging experience considering my and our family’s journey with mental illness in the past few years,” said one attendee. “I found several art and poetry combinations that really spoke to me.”Angelika Dawson is the communications manager for Communitas and one of the exhibit organizers. She is excited that the exhibit has found another venue. “This exhibit was met with such enthusiasm in Abbotsford and I’m excited to give these artists and poets another chance to create awareness about living with mental health challenges,” Dawson says. In addition to this art exhibit, the Chilliwack Visual Arts Association (CVAA) is holding a fundraiser to support Chilliwack Community Services. 1’x1’ is a series of one-foot-square canvases, painted by CVAA and community artists. These specific paintings will be available for sale throughout the Hear and See exhibit as a “pay and take away.” “The members of CVAA want to give back to the community by donating the proceeds of the fundraiser to Chilliwack Community Services and Communitas Supportive Care Society,” says Annet Holierhoek, a member of the CVAA executive. For more information about Communitas, visit us at CommunitasCare.com.

‘One Foot by One Foot’ CVAA Fundraiser  December 13 2018 – January 19 The members of the Chilliwack Visual Artists Association were inspired by an upcoming exhibit in their Gallery “Hear and See”. This exhibit raises awareness around issues of mental health. Their inspiration led to the  initiative to raise funds to support organisations in Abbotsford and Chilliwack; Chilliwack Community Services and Communitas Supportive Care Society. These organisations are providing programs to people who require services that support them in making positive changes in their lives or who require support at a critical time of vulnerability. The CVAA will donate artwork, paintings and works in various mediums all measuring 12” x 12”. Each work will cost $90*. The CVAA looks forward to meeting you and hopes you will join us in supporting these organizations in providing programming to the community. *Each work will cost $90* and  will follow our PAY & TAKE AWAY policy which means you can take it with you once you purchase it. 5% Of the proceeds will go to cover the costs of processing payment fees.

Chilliwack Visual Artists Association is presenting Journey, an exhibition filled with intriguing forms and mediums that express the artists’ view of being on a journey. Not just a short trip to the beach on a weekend, or even a vacation! We will be sharing a vision of journeys which have a story to tell! Perhaps a striving for an ideal long desired, or a growth from a small beginning to something much larger. Join us in the quest! Journey will be showing from November 1 to December 10, 2018 ‘Journey”  November 1 – December 10 2018

September 20 – October 27, 2018 O’Connor Group Art Gallery / Chilliwack Cultural Centre,  9201 Corbould Street / Chilliwack BC V2P 4A6 RONHUEBNER LEGACY COLLECTION + ARCHIVES ART EXHIBITION ENDURING SPIRIT – RON HUEBNER (1959 – 2004) Enduring Spirit… an exhibition of sculptural works by the late British Columbia artist Ron Huebner opens September 20th in the O’Connor Group Art Gallery at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre and continues until October 27th. Curated by the Ron Huebner Legacy Collection and Archives the exhibition represents a select cross-section of work, many never exhibited in British Columbia or Canada. For over twenty years, prior to his accidental death in Amsterdam in 2004, Huebner resided in both Canada and the Netherlands. From early beginnings in Chilliwack, he went on to attend art schools in Halifax, New York and the Netherlands. In 1984 Huebner had his first solo show in Vancouver exhibiting sensory sculptural work and for the following twenty years went on to exhibit in Canada, Netherlands, Germany, France, Sweden and Belgium predominantly in arts venues supporting alternative perspectives and experimental creative development. Huebner’s work was professionally recognized and supported throughout his career, receiving numerous professional arts grants, awards and stipends from recognized cultural entities such as the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Pilchuck and the Netherlands Basis. In 2002 he received the prestigious Canada Council Paris Studio Award at Cite International Des Arts. Huebner was passionately engaged in the creation of a distinctive body of conceptually-based work grounded in a focused and personalized vision of the human experience. The work endures and is as compelling today as when it was created in it’s reference to timeless issues and concerns. Amongst other pieces, the exhibition includes significant and thought-provoking works such as a bed with porcelain heart-shaped electrical heating elements in place of a mattress, cast glass and iron ‘soul shoes’, a neon figure in the shape of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man transforming himself into a tree, large cast glass diamond-shaped forms reflecting internal messaging, a cast resin body chair emanating meditative sounds of water and a 14 foot tall photographic image of a Paris gutter taken from the perspective of a rodent… a project Huebner undertook while living in Paris. Huebner made a unique, historical contribution to Canadian and British Columbia arts recognized in 2014 by the British Columbia Arts Council with support funding to create the Ron Huebner Legacy Project and Archives, with a focus on fostering recognition of Huebner’s artistic legacy on a national and international level. This exhibition was curated by the Archives. A comprehensive overview of Huebner’s work can be found online: ronhuebner.org

The exhibit is titled Grief Work/Hope Work, Watersheds, Rising Tides and Skinboats:Connecting Ecology, Community, Science and Art by artists Erica Grimm, Tracie Stewart, and Sheinagh Anderson. Opening reception will be on June 30, 1-3pm. Gallery hours are Wed- Sat from noon-5pm. Admission is free. Feature press release: This series of drawings, paintings, artist books, maguettes, sculptures and soundscapes, which draw analogies between human bodies and bodies of water, and ask questions about climate/ocean change—the most urgent of wicked problems facing humanity today. Predominantly using boat metaphors, these reflect on what it means to be human beings in the 21st Century, explore the radical interconnections between human and ecological issues, and invite the collective grief work/hope work that is necessary in order to consider a new intimacy with the earth. Stumbling along the fault lines between ethics and aesthetics, ecology, community, science and art, these works seek to make sense of a complex issue that affects all life on the planet. Linking doing, being, creating and conserving in concrete entanglements of visceral material, scientific data and embodied sensory perception, these sculptural versions of coracles (the most ancient boat construction known) function as contemporary oracles. We ask how is it possible to stay afloat during a wicked storm? Abbreviated press release: Coracle inspired boat sculptures and a virtual sound design invite the viewer to draw analogies between human bodies and bodies of water and ask questions about climate/ocean change–the most urgent of wicked problems facing humanity today. Stumbling along the fault lines between ethics and aesthetics, ecology, community, science and art, these woven entanglements seek to make sense of a complex issue that affects all life.

ART33 is a collective of students who are enrolled in School District 33’s high school art programs. The artworks showcased in this exhibition are responses to projects in a variety of courses offered at the high school level as juried by the art teachers during the 2017-2018 school year.  Students are encouraged to share their personal taste and experiences through drawing, painting, printmaking, graphic design, digital art, ceramics, sculpture, animation and fabric arts. For some students, this is a start of career in the arts and for others this is a demonstration of their love for the arts. Bio: ART33 is a collective of students who are enrolled in one of the School District 33 high schools. For some students, this is a start of career in the arts and for others this is a demonstration of their love for the arts. The works of these grade 10-12 students have been completed as part of the art programs of Chilliwack Senior, G.W. Graham, Sardis Secondary and the Ed Center. Their artwork has been selected to be part of the exhibition by their teachers. Artist Statement: The work represented in this exhibition are responses to projects in a variety of courses offered at the high school level. Students have an opportunity to learn about the elements and principles of designs used in drawing, painting, printmaking, graphic design, digital art, ceramics, sculpture, animation and fabric arts. They are encouraged to share their personal taste and experiences through various techniques, themes and approaches.

CVAA Members Show
When:                       April 5 – May 12 2018 Hours:                       Wednesday to Saturday 12 to 5 pm Artists Reception:   Saturday April 7 2018 from 1 pm  to 4 pm

The Chilliwack Visual Artists Association is presenting its Artists’ Choice at the O’Connor Group Art Gallery at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre. Artists’ Choice will feature fresh works of art, in new and exciting mediums. Come & see, and perhaps, discover a new vision on art that will bring you both insight and pleasure. Explore the everchanging world of art.

 The Feelings of Colour by Donna Hitchens

When:                       February 22 – April 2 2018 Hours:                       Wednesday to Saturday 12 to 5 pm Artists Reception:   Saturday February 24 2018 from 1 pm  to 4 pm Donna’s or Donya’s art is known as “Visionary Art” which is a title related to self-taught artists. Her creations are a result of her adaptations within the style known as Modern Art today. Donna’s paintings are an expression of her feelings, using acrylic on canvas. She begins by thinking about a subject she may have seen, or begun to imagine. They begin with bright colours, and the brush strokes express her desire to highlight her vision of what lies within, the abstract thought. Whether that vision is of an animal, a flower, or a person, the work is meant to draw attention to the parts of the painting that will stir a feeling expressed by the colours and what else lies within Donna originally worked with pottery and clay sculptures, and then changed over to acrylic painting in 1995. Since then her work has been accepted and shown in many venues since 2004, including being in the Lobby Art in the Cultural Centre, in January 2016.

Chilliwack Visual Artists Association April 5 -May 13 2018
Past Exhibit: Kindred Spirits – A Fusion in Wax. Kathleen Menges & Patricia Peters January 11 – February 17th 2018 Wednesday to Saturday 12 to 5 pm Artists Reception:  Saturday January 13 2018 1 pm  to 3 pm Patricia Peters and Kathleen Menges are teaming up again to share their talents and art featuring works uniquely created with the ancient medium of wax. Both artists have worked in the luscious and temperamental encaustic medium. Hot wax requires heat as a solvent to move paint around and fuse the layers together. Encaustic painting can have a spectacular transparent polish or depth to the product, through to a textural relief. This exhibition showcases the evolution of their work in wax processes from encaustic to that of oil and cold wax. This latter medium looks like paste and does not require heat but rather uses mineral spirits as a solvent. This typically gives a matte finish which can vary from a silky smooth texture to an organic, hand-rubbed polish. With cold wax medium brushes are replaced by palette knives, silicon blades, brayers, squeegees, and rollers, to name only a few tools of the craftwork. In this exhibition, pigments and/or oil paint, plus cold wax medium have been thoughtfully layered to create dynamic and sometimes mysterious images Kathleen and Patricia speak a similar language because of the common use of tools, surfaces, and product but the imagery and handling of their paint is dramatically different and artistically unique. After viewing their work one can easily determine who is Ying and who is Yang. One artist exhibits energy and colorful variety while the other is more meditative, serene, and peaceful. Their combined work is diverse and brings to light the subtleties, grace, and complexities of the highly unusual medium of oil and cold wax. Both artists will be available January 13, 2018, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm to respond to comments and questions during the opening reception at the O’Conner Gallery. On January 20, from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, they will be hosting a hands-on workshop.
Past Exhibit :      Chilliwack Visual Artists Association, members exhibit When:                  November 30 2017 – January 6 2018 The “No Theme” Visual Artists Group show, will end the 2017 season in the O’Connor Group Art Gallery in the Cultural Centre. We decided to give the show a name, so we hope that “Anything Goes!” will usher in 2018, , and new season in the Gallery in style. Some of our artists may show new work in a different medium and change their usual style; perhaps some of our new members will surprise and delight us with exciting and original work, and we look forward to a very eclectic and original exhibit starting on November 30th 2017.
Past Exhibit:  INTERACTION  September – October 2017
Past Exhibit:  FRAGMENTS: Explorations in Mixed-Media Collage”. August -September 2017 The artists of “Fragments: Explorations in Mixed-Media Collage”, Christine Newsome, Betty Meiszner, Vicki Ray and Dianne Hultgren are dedicated to exploring the possibilities in mixed-media as an art form. Mixed-media collage lends itself to pushing the boundaries and each artist represented here has a very unique approach. The results are rich, diverse and exciting.