June 20, 2024 was a huge moment for me—my solo show, Unwritten Chapters, officially opened! To everyone who came out, thank you so much. Seriously, your presence made it more than just an art show—it became a celebration of connection, creativity, and shared stories.
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Battle of the Brush Manila Recap
On October 26, 2024, I had the absolute thrill of participating in Battle of the Brush Manila alongside my ever-talented partner-in-art-crime, William D. Higginson. It was an unforgettable night of art, community, and purpose—a perfect storm (pun intended) of creativity.
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The Story of The Moolack Shores
THE STORY
Have you ever taken a road trip where you didn’t plan anything and just went with the flow? While some might find this experience a powerful way to induce anxiety, others like myself find the discovery of something new or unexpected to be the spice of life.
This is exactly how this painting came to be.
My husband William and I were returning from our road trip in Utah, and we decided to take the long way home, book it across Nevada and California on "The Loneliest Road in America" U.S. Route 50, and then drive up the coast back to Vancouver. Even though this added a couple of days to our trip, it was so worth it. We were making decisions on where to stay purely by gut feeling, guided by Google maps, and the Moolack Shores Inn felt like it was the right place for us.. It was close enough to home so we could make the next leg of the trip in one day, and it had available rooms. What more can you ask for…. other than a cold 6 pack of beer after a long day's drive!
We didn’t have any expectations, we just wanted a place where we could order some pizza and cozy up for the night before we hit the road the next day, but little did we know that we were in for one of the best surprises of the trip.
THE PLACE
The hotel sat right on the cliff edge above the beach and all the rooms had stunning ocean views. You could walk down the stairs from the hotel right onto the beach, and so we went exploring, soaking in the sunset, and hunting for good reference photography. It was the rock formation embedded in the sand that really drew in my eye. Everything around was as if it was set up perfectly for a painting! The long shadows cast from the rocks, the reflection of the sky in the pool of water around them, the warm glow created by the salt mist in the distance and best of the cherry on top was the shape of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse perched up against the sky. We walked on the beach as everything transitioned from a golden glow to a deeper blue of the coming nighttime, and I knew that one of my best memories and one of my favourite paintings was going to be created that day.
MAGAZINE ARTICLE
The painting itself was the subject of a demonstration article where I talked about my process and technique in the International Artists Magazine (Issue #131 February / March 2020).
I ended up documenting the painting process in step by step photos which was an interesting challenge, as I don’t often talk about the painting process. Having to put it into words for the article really made me think through each step of the painting. I was constantly scrutinizing my decisions, and it gave me a better understanding of what truly is and isn’t necessary in the process of my work.
A lot of the time I paint based on feeling, and once an element of the painting starts to feel good, I move on to the next. Through this experience though, I was working out more of a “predictive feeling” ability. I was constantly asking myself, “If I change the balance of light and dark, cool and warm, how will it make the composition feel? How will it affect the mood of the painting? Am I strengthening the focal point of the piece with this, or is it drawing focus away from it?”
Perhaps it was the pressure of the article going out to thousands of readers around the world, or the fact that I had to explain my process in depth at every step rather than just do it, but it was definitely a great next step in my growth as an artist.
Thank you for reading till the end. Enjoy the process images and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me as I love to talk with anyone who loves and follows my work.
Cheers,
Olga.
"Looking Back" Painting Process
What inspired this?
I picked up the reference for this painting on the West Coast Trail. It was our second day on the hike and we had to wait for about an hour to pass Owen point. It is a cape which you can only pass at low tide, and the wait gave us plenty of time to explore the area, stare at the tidal pools and appreciate the landscape.
The views at Owen point are spectacular, and I spent a good long while staring at the sea stacks off in the distance, looking back at the way we’ve come so far, while unable to get around the next corner.
I knew I had to paint the sea stack structures and the interesting shapes they provide against the misty background, but the extra time for contemplation allowed a deeper idea of “Looking Back” to come into my mind.
Starting from the south end, which is what our group did, the first day of the hike has the toughest terrain, and the shock of an overweight backpack plus some infamous West Coast Trail ladders gave little room for appreciation of the scenery. We were all busy putting one foot in front of the other while ignoring any thoughts of turning back. But it was during the pause on the second day where I could look back at the landscape we just passed and see it in a new light. It was truly magical, and it was a real life a-ha moment.
We often focus so much on what lies ahead, that we forget to appreciate the path down which we’ve come. You get a different perspective on the same things and it might change the way you look at the future. It’s the balance between our past experiences and our vision for the future that makes the road easier to walk on.
I made it a priority for the rest of the hike to try and absorb as much visual candy as possible, and it will remain one of the most inspiring trips I have taken.
6 Things I learned From Putting On My Own Solo Exhibition
About three and a half years ago, on May 3rd, 2018 I had the opening to my very first solo exhibition. The exhibit consisted of landscape paintings I created with inspiration from the West Coast of Canada, Hawaii, and the East Coast of Australia - all across the Pacific Rim.
The months leading up to the opening night were a huge learning experience, and I definitely had to adjust course multiple times in the process.
Having recently had a second solo exhibition where I worked with a curator and a whole team to make it happen, it really highlighted the differences of the two experiences in my mind.
Over the last 4 years I’ve also been a part of organizing multiple solo and group exhibitions while running The Space an Art Gallery in Yaletown. I’ve seen what really works and learned some great tricks along the way. This is why I decided to write about the things that I learned from that first exhibit and my years of running a gallery, and share those discoveries with you.
1. Build it and they will not come… unless you invite them.
This may be a bit of an obvious statement, but it’s probably the most important piece of the puzzle when it comes to organizing an art exhibit.
The bulk of the work in putting on your own art show is not in the actual creation of the art (that part is all fun), but in the promotion, marketing, and communication around the show.
I spent a couple of busy days on sending out personalized invites to the people on my mailing list with whom I have built a good rapport. This included anyone who has ever bought an artwork from me or has shown interest in my art, as well as close friends and family. This was in addition to a mass email to all the other contacts I have and lots of posts about the show on all my social media channels.
This wasn’t exactly a new piece of learning for me, but I really got to see the positive results for myself this time. Every personal email opened up another conversation, regardless of whether that person made it to the show or not. Friends brought more friends, and strangers showed up who just happened to hear about it. All of the social media promotion gained new followers and re-engaged existing ones.
I am really glad I put in the time and effort to add that personal touch to the invites. The opening reception saw more than 200 people through the gallery. I was overwhelmed with the response, and I definitely saw this reflected in my sales during and after the show.
2. There will always be a last minute something, so plan on it.
A friend said this to me once, “Work is like a gas, it expands according to the amount of space it has to fill.” I had no idea how true it was until I had this solo show.
It’s not all about procrastination either. Even when everything is done and buttoned up, we can find more stuff to do. This explains why I decided the night before to paint just one more small piece to add to the exhibit. Maybe this is a defence mechanism that keeps the mind occupied and saves us from all the anticipation, but it’s true that there will always be something to be done at the last minute.
This is why I planned to have nothing to do a couple of days before the opening night, and is an incredibly valuable piece of advice for anyone putting on a show. I also had an assistant who could take care of little tasks like printing stuff out or doing a supply run, because I knew I might be busy with other bigger tasks, or showing VIPs around the exhibit before it opens to the public.
3. Location location location.
The basic rule is, you should pick the best possible location you can afford, and out of all the items you can spend money on for the show, this is the one to splurge on.
A central location that is easy to get to can make a world of difference for the attendance and networking opportunities. There are so many things that have to be considered with a location that are hard to think of until they become an issue. If people have to drive to the venue, is there plentiful parking? Is there an easy public transport option or a cab rank close by? If it’s a small venue and people have to line up outside, is there cover for rain?
There are also many other aspects to consider like lighting, hanging systems, bar setup and bathrooms. It’s great to have a location that is already equipped with some of this, otherwise it will be an additional cost and hassle to get these organized.
4. Tell one story, and make it a good one.
Being consistent with the theme allows the visitors to really immerse themselves in the art and get a deeper understanding of what you are trying to communicate.
Having spent the previous couple of years gathering inspiration in places like Tofino, Washington coast, Hawaii and Australia, I was ready to transform my experiences into artworks. I love painting coastlines... but also mountains, rivers, pastures, and clouds, so I knew I had to settle on one subject. I titled the show Pacific Rim, and all the artworks I created for it were seascapes.
As for the “make it a good one” part of this point, it’s not so much about picking a “good” theme, but rather picking one you could really be passionate about and not find boring after creating two or three paintings. It really doesn’t matter what theme you choose, as long as it’s something you can see yourself sticking with for a while and feel good talking about to your audience.
What I learned is that you don’t just do one show on a theme and move on. This is because afterwards there will be commission requests, and some of the work will remain unsold. Therefore the theme flows into the following months and possibly years of your career. Of course you could just burn the bridge if you really aren’t interested in continuing with a subject, but it’s much more practical to pick something that can be a long term source of inspiration (and income).
5. Vary your price points
After banging on about consistency for a bit, I thought I’d swing over to the opposite end and talk about what can and should be varied. This is more of a practical point about sales, but it’s actually something that I could have done better in the exhibit now that I look back on it.
I had one major large scale piece that was my main attraction, as well as a handful of small paintings. But for the most part, all the works were in the medium to large range. What I noticed was that the standout pieces sold first, and so did all of the little ones, with a few people having been disappointed that they were all gone.
As an artist at the early stages of a career, which is exactly where I was at the time, your chances of selling more pieces at a smaller price point are much higher than one large painting at a high price. My mistake was not having enough inventory at the low end and also not having any prints available for those collectors who were not looking to spend large amounts.
6. You can’t actually do it all yourself.
It’s unrealistic to expect one person to be able to do everything from painting to updating websites to making labels, and to do it well to boot. Even though I was organizing my own show, I still needed a lot of help and outsourced a few tasks around the exhibit.
For example, I’m really glad that I worked with a professional writer to create descriptions for all the art and edit my artist statement. It took a huge amount of work off my plate, and I could be sure that the quality of the writing matched the art, as it’s not my strong suit.
Some of the other tasks I outsourced were website updates, printing and making labels, and sourcing wine for the opening night. I could have actually delegated more of the work and focused on things I couldn’t outsource, but that was part of the learning process. From this experience I learned to be ok with letting go of some of the control and allowing the various experts to do their part of the work that needs to be done to pull off a successful art show.
Thank you for taking the time to read to the end, and I hope this was useful information which will help you in putting on your own solo exhibit.
The Artist's Guide to the West Coast Trail
If I could say just one thing about the West Coast Trail it would be “Go do it!”. If I could say a hundred things about it, it would not be enough.
It took 2,134 photos and videos over eight days to capture the magnificence that is the west coast. As you go along, the landscape changes from otherworldly beaches with boulders scattered across shallow tidal flats, to white sand, to a tropical rainforest with trees towering overhead. The variety is even more enhanced by the changes in light and the ocean mist that rolled in almost every evening.
While the scenery is the major attraction for nature lovers, there has to be something said for the feeling of disconnectedness. The only use for your phone is to take photos. The only objective for the day is to get to the next camp. All the while, the vastness of the ocean to your side reminds you of how insignificant your problems are in the grand scheme. For me, that was the life changing part of the West Coast Trail. And once you come back, you realise that the world got on just fine without you.
Even though we did the hike in peak season, we came across very few people while walking, and it was easy enough to find a secluded spot at most campsites and enjoy the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere.
We did spot plenty of wildlife though - eagles, seals, otters, whales, deer, lots of marine birds, and of course, a couple of bears. I can tell you from experience that the best bear sighting protocol is blaring out the Bohemian Rhapsody in 5 dissonant voices while trying to hike up a steep hill or climb a ladder. Until it turns out that the suspected bear in the bushes is just a couple of hikers walking towards us…
Photo by Kamil Szybalski
Since we took it easy and spread out the 75 kilometers over 8 days (most people do the hike in 5 or 6), there was plenty of time at camp to do some sketching. I only brought a small sketchbook and a pencil, which was quite liberating in contrast to a usual plein air set up that would have added too much weight to my pack.
We camped on the beach every night which provided lots of eye candy for my sea seeking eyes. Here are some of the results:
It’s taken a while to go through the 2000+ reference photos I took, but picking out the absolute best shots for painting is totally worth it. I’m so excited to continue the coastal theme in my painting and it will likely be a major part of my next show. Stay tuned for the West Coast Trail painting series.
Cheers,
Olga