At the MAC October/November 2025

Opening Reception, Saturday, November 1, 2025   1pm

Melinda has been involved in many artistic ventures from private and public murals to volunteer after school art programs, community “Art Start” workshops, Professional Development seminars for CUPE and BCTF and the B.C. Ferries Artist and Speaker program.  She is currently a director at the Pier Gallery Artist’s Collective on Gabriola Island where she lives with her husband after raising 5 children, various dogs, chickens, ducks and rabbits. Her works are in private collections in Australia, Europe, Asia and throughout Canada and the US.    

www.melindawilde.com  IG@mwildeexperiencewatercolours

FB melindawildeexperiencewatercolours

I wish to acknowledge the creation and presence of the Snuneymuxw first nation people and give homage to the fact that I am able to live and practice my God given gift here on their unceded ancestral lands.

I am grateful for my gift of seeing, or maybe noticing is a better word.  Noticing trans

Opening Reception, Saturday, November 1, 2025     1-3pm

I’ve always loved nature, but it wasn’t until my teenage years that I realized how deeply the natural world shaped my sense of well-being. On a trip with my parents from our suburban home outside Vancouver to camp on Vancouver Island, I noticed that as the landscape grew wilder and greener, the anxiety that I always carried with me began to ease.

The realization that I feel most at home among trees and the ocean has been a guiding force in my life ever since. It has led me to many beautiful places, including Hornby Island, where I now live, and to a creative practice rooted in close attention and appreciation of the living world.

My paintings sometimes start from direct references -landscapes before me or photographs I’ve taken- but more often than not, early layers are all about play and experimentation, adding paint and other mixed media intuitively at first, but then becoming more considered in my choices as I res

October 28 – November 22, 2025

Opening Reception:  Saturday, November 1   1-3pm

As a blind artist, it might come as a surprise to most viewers, that I have a close and treasured relationship with colour.  In scientific terms I experience what is known as Charles Bonnet Syndrome.  Interested viewers can learn about this phenomenon by simply asking Google, or any of the AI platforms.  Alternatively, search for a very popular TED Talks by Oliver Sacks, which features his own experience with CBS.  Not all blind people see vibrant colour swirling around them, however it is safe to say, that blind people normally do have a rich sense of haptic.  Thus, my goal is to create art that is both pleasing to the eye, as well as to the sense of touch.  In short, liven your imagination; feel free; touch the art!

For a more extensive look at CBS, refer to a podcast series on the topic.  I am interview #33.

Shaimond Foye

Host, The Charles Bonnet Syndrome Podcast

https://cbsyndromepodcas

The Crow Show

I stepped onto the beach at Cox Bay one recent spring morning and found mounds of the freshest and most interesting and colorful seaweed I had ever seen. Crows were everywhere and certainly inspecting the new additions to a beach smorgasbord. I started snapping pictures.

The camera picks up stance and dare I say, the idiosyncratic personalities of these black feathered creatures. The seaweed seems to reflect color and shape that is artistic and intriguing. Ohhhhhhh….the beauty of Mother Nature!

I have painted many compositions that flowed from that scene and some larger ones have been commissioned. Besides finding joy putting bird and flora together it is a lot of fun.

Cathy Vera Stewart

Cathy Stewart, nee Curran, was born in Comox and grew up in Port Alberni. She is wife to William Stewart and the mother of two sons, Alistair and James. She currently resides in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia.

Cathy spent over thirty years working as a psychiatric nurse in the mental

Born in 1984, Sarah grew up in the small town of Fort St James, BC. As a child she was very creative and gifted with focus and determination beyond her years. Growing up she was influenced by her mom’s passion for photography and the outdoors. You can easily see how her love of the natural world has informed her artwork. When she was 18 Sarah moved to Alberta and spent 12 years in the highway construction industry working as a surveyor. While the hours were long during the work season she took the winters off to practice her painting skills. Sarah started painting with oils in 2004, largely self-taught she has also learned much over the years from other artists. Her style is realism and she is drawn to painting landscapes with strong sculptural shapes and an emphasis on fleeting light. In 2016 she decided to move back to BC to pursue a career in art. Sarah currently lives and paints full time in Nanaimo, BC and is an exhibiting member of the FCA. Her paintings have been exhi

September 6 – 28, 2025 

Opening Reception, Saturday, September 6, 2025     1-3pm

KATE BRIDGER, FABRIC ARTIST

For over three decades I have been working with fabric to create landscapes, wildlife, house portraits, old cars, household objects and abstracts.  Recently, I have branched out and am creating mixed media collages and 3D fabric clad work. Inspired, as always, by the landscapes I live in or visit as well as by the extraordinary that lurks within the ordinary.

I have lived in Canada for most of my life beginning in Ontario and slowly making my way westward. Art is what fills my days, gives me purpose and keeps me curious. I am always delighted to share my work with others.

As the title suggests, this is a collection of vividly bright and colourful pieces featuring both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional work. Most of my triggers come from the environment I am fortunate to enjoy every day. I confess I am allergic to wishy-washy beiges and whites, so my work leans towards bold colo

September 2- 28, 2025

Get ready for an immersive digital art experience of a lifetime!

Brian Middleton has been a professional painter in Canada for nearly 50 years.  Describing himself as a “painter of Light” since 2012 (the privotal year he began using new digital technology) Brian is delighted to return to the MAC in ‘TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC” with his multi-talented friend and fellow artist ROBERT HELD.

 Trip the Light Fantastic is an exciting immersive and collaborative effort involving many gifted creatives in a local production team that brings an entirely new exhibition format to Oceanside.

Opening Reception, Saturday, May 3, 2025     1-3pm

OPENING RECEPTION Saturday, May 3,  1-3pm

A nostalgic photo series that documents the place of books within human relationships.

Federation of Canadian Artists – Arrowsmith Chapter - Spring Juried Exhibition

Arrowsmith FCA 2025 Spring Juried Exhibition – April 1st to 27th

The Arrowsmith Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) proudly presents its annual Spring Juried Exhibition, hosted at the McMillan Arts Centre (133 McMillan St., Parksville, BC). This exceptional showcase celebrates the diverse talents of local artists and offers a unique opportunity to add to—or begin—your collection of original artwork.

This year is extra special as the Arrowsmith Chapter marks its 30th anniversary! For three decades, the chapter has been a vital hub for artistic excellence and appreciation. Join us in celebrating this milestone at the Opening Reception & Awards Presentation on Saturday, April 5, from 1–3 PM, where you can meet the artists and witness the unveiling of this year’s award-winning works.

As a visitor, you’ll also have the chance to cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award—a coveted honor decid

Opening Reception, Saturday, March  8, 1-3pm

Marina paints using acrylics. Her favorite subjects to paint involve places she has visited, particularly those to which she has consistently returned throughout her life – the local beaches and forests of Vancouver Island. Marina holds a degree in biological sciences and is always keen to expand her knowledge of local ecology. She holds a deep appreciation for the species and natural landscapes of her home and enjoys showcasing them in her paintings. Painting is a quiet passion for Marina and the potential to improve and explore more subject matter is a huge motivator.

As I’ve been painting this series, I’ve been reflecting on the value and joy of friendship. A close friend of mine, Jill Chernecki passed away from cancer in September. We enjoyed a lot of our ~30 years together at the places in these paintings. This new series is dedicated to the special places in our lives and all of the wonderful memories shared there with friends.

OPENING RECEPTION Saturday, March 8,  1-3pm

Bio: 

I grew up in with an interest in oil painting and through the years with pressures of work and family my art progress was primarily off and on with interest in watercolour and sketching.  Since retirement I have renewed my interest in painting and sketching.  I have taken numerous workshops mainly in pen and ink and watercolour was.  I have exhibited in Port Alberni at the Rollins Art Centre (The Grove) as well as The Old School House in Qualicum and the MacMillan Arts Centre.

Artist Statement:

With the change in our Covid 19 response systems we have all started travelling again and people are out moving around and getting back to travelling.   We have also started travelling again with a trip to Ireland in 2022 and to Hawaii in 2023.  

In the past years we have travelled extensively in Europe as well as trips to the Maritimes and Yukon.  Many of our trips were walking tours in the UK, Spain and Portugal.  With the start of travell