Gallery History over 30 years

Looking back at the Gallery design over the last 25 years.

Inspired from a trip to India, the gallery was painted lovely hot pink on the walls and inside display walls were varnished wood.

Gallery walls were earthen brown.

Always inspired by the south of France, the face of the gallery was given a bright coat of golden yellow paint after previously being gloss black.

 

The early days, supporting Artspring. This photo would be about 1995.

Update for January 2023

A New Year always brings an uplift of passionate possibilities and creative expression.
Our gallery is now awesomely in its 31st year. And it’s the season of clearing, cleaning and sorting to make room for the new! In the process I discover old photos of my beloved painting studios and galleries over the decades.
I grew up, out grew, moved on and over the past three decades each new beginning thrilled my creative urge, opened possibilities while offering expanded reach for a growing client following. These wonderful spaces became comfortable homes for my art as decorating each space was priority.
Walls, floors, trim became surface for artistic expression. I was motivated to repaint floors each year sometimes even painting mural scenes. The wall trim I painted favourite sayings as I felt each word colour, scene was honouring my space.
We had the most fabulous events: Book launches, receptions for accommodation providers, travel groups, travel writers. A plethora of accomplished Island Musicians preformed every Friday and Saturday night in the summer, drawing visitors in to feel our Salt Spring Island vibe. We hosted parties, poetry readings, and creative types, Basket weavers, a Papier Machee sculpture, wood workers, fibre art, painters and more.
Every week throughout the summer was wildly exciting. Every winter we travelled to dozens of art shows, often across Canada. Our High Vibe Gallery profile quietly grew into a self assurance that today feels powerfully uplifting, contented and confident. We continue to thrill in welcoming clients, supporters visiting us for over three decades. New first timer visitors we still excitedly share our stories and island flavour.
Enjoy these few photos that give our evolution, views of the fabulous creative ride as we have so much fun.
February we are excited to launch our annual Dutch Auction. With 50+ Limited Editions, some with original enhancing, this years auction will please the most discerning eye for art deals. This is one of the most important months for us as we prepare, photograph, label and make our website ready for active purchasing over four weeks. Careful wrapping and shipping continues for another week as each order is personally processed.

Jill's early studios    view Instagram Post

For over 35 years I have painted commercially. My beginning studios were precious in every way. I adored my creative spaces. The outside was adorned with gardens, hanging baskets and clean windows! This inside I hung cheerful curtains, even around my huge sink. Cabinets filled with paints, paper, brushes, research books and material always organized, or stacked behind doors. Beginning each painting session I would began with sweeping, washing counter surfaces. I filled my thoughts of what was calling me to be painted. Then the music. Choosing the perfect music that would carry me deeper into my creative world. The whole beginning process becomes a ritual that can include lighting candles, singing even dancing some. Over the decades I let go of beloved spaces as we moved on. It was actually mostly easy to do as I felt the love and honouring I gave in each space was now being passed on to its next owner, it felt good.
These photos and paintings are of first studio on SSI built 32 years ago. The tiny studio photo I fashioned from an old garden shed in Crescent Beach. This photo was 35 years ago. I look forward to sharing more about my creative spaces.

 

La Conner Gallery

Beginning a New Year is also an appreciation of where I have come from. In 1997 we opened an Art Gallery in La Conner, Wa. Thrilled with the historical house we were purchasing we took months refinishing and making ready to open before summer. It was a thrill to have a personal art gallery in the midst of a destination Art Town. https://www.townoflaconner.org/ I have discovered over the decades of owning art gallery’s, doing many art shows across the country that not every plan works out. Our best intention did not survive with our family needs. Parents died within weeks of each other later that Fall. Attention to our personal life became the priority. We realized through real life experience we needed to let go, we did. Regrets? No. Appreciation for the months we were open, for the clients we met who still search me out, all outweigh the gulp of reality that made us say we need to stop now. It was hard. I knew it would be harder still if we ploughed on. Through all the planning and working our USA gallery we kept our Gallery running in Salt Spring Island, as well Art Shows committed to across Canada. We were clearly stretched. Today in viewing a few of these photos I am so glad I tried. It made it easier with the knowledge we gained to open a commercial gallery in downtown Victoria a few years later. That’s for another post!

 

1996 Gallery Opens

‘Gallery By The Sea’, Today I discovered photos from the early 1990’s they bring back so many wonderful memories, many of feeling giddy excited opening my first studio on Salt Spring Island. I had viewed an old seaside cottage Ida McManus owned beside The Kayak place opposite Embe Bakery. I braved a knock on her door(she lived in the rambling house beside) asked if she would rent she said ‘yes, if you clean it up’. Unoccupied for years except for wonderers human and otherwise, we did a deep clean, built a deck, planted flowers mowed the grass. I’ll never forget the day the sign went up I had such butterflies in my stomach not knowing if I could pay the monthly $400. It became the most wonderful five years meeting many visitors from around the world as well fellow islanders who somehow found me on the edge of Ganges. Today it is a thrill to meet those original visitors now 30 years later in my commercial Gallery in town. I paid the $400 rent on time every month, gained so much experience as I soon employed part time staff. Paula Davis was a first fabulous employee! Within 5years I outgrew the space and once again held my breath while I signed a real commercial lease in town. That is for another story.

 

 

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