Exhibition runs
May 20 thru June 13
Bridging Conversations
at Artful : The Gallery
Bridging Conversations: Six Artists Create One Collective Vision
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A new exhibition at Artful : The Gallery, Bridging Conversations, brings together six visual artists from the Comox Valley whose diverse practices and perspectives converge in a powerful exploration of connection and creative exchange over time.
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For the past several years, this group has met regularly, fostering a space where dialogue unfolds organically, sometimes in unpredictable directions. By sharing their personal stories, artistic challenges and sources of inspiration, these gatherings have evolved into a vital support system for the artists. The resulting exhibition reflects not only individual artistic journeys but also the collective energy generated through mutual trust built through sustained conversation.
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The artists’ works span a wide spectrum, from abstract to representational, nonobjective to figurative, and from bold, expressive compositions to quieter, contemplative pieces. Yet, beneath these differences lies a shared conviction: that art serves as a vital tool for reflection and connection.
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Bridging Conversations highlights the concept of “adjacent possibilities,” where new creative directions emerge through interaction and exchange. In this context, each artist’s work becomes both a personal statement and a response to the group dynamic, illustrating how connection and collaboration can expand the boundaries of what is artistically and socially possible.
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At a time when division often shapes public discourse, this exhibition offers an alternative dialogue, one based in openness, curiosity, and collective growth. Visitors are invited into this ongoing dialogue, becoming active participants in the 'call and response' that extends beyond the canvas.
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This exhibition celebrates the transformative potential of artists coming together, not only to create, but to listen, reflect, and inspire each other’s evolution. Bridging Conversations artists are: Sharon Lalonde, Laurie Martz, Corina Menz, Jenny Mitchell, Miriam Myers and Elaine Smith.
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Artist Reception Saturday, May 23rd, 7-9 pm
Exhibition May 20 thru June 13, Weds - Sat, 12 - 5pm
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The Artists:
Elaine Smith
Elaine sees her art as a form of visual storytelling. She is passionate about abstract art and often finds inspiration in the natural world. She loves big skies, the beauty of subtle and surprising colours in nature, Gaia's natural patterns and designs, rocks with their exquisite planes and edges, and huge trees.
The thing is that the whole exploration of actual landscapes also informs her passion for abstract art making. The natural world offers up the tension between complexity and simplicity and her art is a microcosm of that.
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The question for her is how to embody complexity in a painting which is so exciting, and also instill quietness in the image, which, she believes, is the balancing point for a successful piece.
Miriam Myers
Nearly a decade ago, Miriam relocated from the prairies to Vancouver Island, where the region’s vibrant colours and lush landscapes reignited her passion for painting. Inspired by her new environment, she evolved from representational acrylic landscapes to experimenting with looser brushwork and abstract compositions, occasionally using mixed media and collage. Even in an abstract style, her art reflects the shifting light and shadow along the coast.
Miriam strives to create art that evokes emotion in viewers, and is thrilled when one comments on feeling energy in a piece. Participation with the Art Chat group and online art
peers has broadened her approach, making her practice more open and intuitive. Miriam is delighted to share her evolving style at Artful : The Gallery.
Jenny Mitchell
Jenny is a graduate of Vancouver School of Art and a long-term Comox Valley resident. Initially she used her creativity to raise a family and run the Laughing Oyster Bookshop.
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She subsequently harnessed that creativity to explore abstract art in acrylics, mixed media and collage. As a former potter, she gravitates towards 3D, building and subtracting layers of textures and colours. Exploring contrast between hard geometric and soft organic shapes and lines, she responds
intuitively asking ‘what if...’.
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Balancing control and spontaneity creates a thoughtful dialogue, both within the painting and with the viewer.
Connecting with other creatives has greatly contributed to her exploration of various techniques.
Corina Menz
Corina Menz is a German-born, Vancouver Island–based artist working primarily in figurative painting. Her work explores the quiet beauty of everyday life, capturing ordinary moments with emotional depth and an underlying sense of mystery.
Her work begins with sketches, where composition and rhythm take shape before evolving intuitively in paint. Working primarily in acrylic and oil, she builds layered surfaces that balance structure with spontaneity.
Engagement with artist communities and ongoing dialogue continues to shape and deepen her work. Corina invites viewers to slow down and enter the present moment, leaving space for personal interpretation and imagination. In a fast-paced and uncertain world, her paintings offer a pause—an opportunity to reconnect with stillness and inner narrative.
Laurie Martz
Since moving to the Comox Valley a decade ago after a long career as a physician Laurie excitedly explores her right brain and the natural world of her new home through her abstract expressionistic paintings.
Her work morphs through landscape to figures to pure elemental abstract coming from her inner spaces...and back and forth again quite happily, paying minimal attention anymore to the concept of ‘style’ (which is quite freeing) as external events and internal reflection play out through acrylic paint and mixed media techniques.
Connection with others through creativity has greatly transformed her own world and expands the possible for one another in the art we make; she deeply hopes it someday will help heal the globe.
Sharon Lalonde
Using acrylic paint, collage, and mark-making tools, Sharon’s semi-abstract, expressionist paintings aim to convey the energy and soul of the image. She measures the success of the work by having the viewers be compelled to spend time with her work, to question, and to derive the essence of what she is trying to communicate.
To Sharon, the work invites both the artist and the viewer to explore the creative process itself. This is where the connection happens. The artistic process has evolved as she experiments with innovative techniques on canvas
and wood panels. She hopes the gratitude that she feels for being able to create comes through to the viewer.
