Main Gallery
Solo Exhibition – Mike Semkiw
Up Close with Nature
January 29 to February 12, 2025
About the Artwork:
This exhibition marks Mike’s first show in Victoria, and offers an intimate look into his 50-year artistic journey of respect and appreciation for the natural world on Vancouver Island.
"Up Close with Nature" offers viewers an intimate window into the world of a lifelong wildlife painter, inviting viewers to embark on a sensory journey through the beauty of Vancouver Island's wilderness. Through hyper-realistic paintings and personal anecdotes, Mike’s work aims to convey the artist's deep reverence for nature's delicate balance and inspire a profound sense of stewardship for our planet's fragile wonders.
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About the Artist:
I’m a wildlife painter in the truest sense. I am an intimate observer of the beauty of my natural surroundings. I have been studying plants and animals in their habitats for close to 60 years, since I was a young child growing up in the Alberni Valley - the place I still call home. A self-taught artist fortunate to have been mentored in his youth by renowned Alberni naturalist Fred Rollins, Semkiw made it his life’s work to be a close observer of the world around him.
Additional Programming / Events:
Opening Reception: February 1, 2025 from 3:00 to 7:00pm with territorial welcome by The Aunty Collective at 3:00pm
- Free Sketching Workshop for Kids: February 2, 2025 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
- Nature Talk with Ann Nightingale: Sunday, February 8, 2025 from 2:00 to 4:00pm
For more information about the exhibition and events, please visit makespacefor.art/show or email info@makespacefor.art
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Hallway Cases & Rear Window
Multiple Artist Exhibition
February 10 to March 3, 2025
About the Artwork and Artists:
Hallway Cases
Anita Colman
February 10 to March 3, 2025
I grew up in Montreal, Quebec. After graduating with a degree in Fine Arts,
and no applicable skills, I worked as a fence builder, house painter and at an outdoor produce market. Since I have always been a doodler and cartoonist.
I began freelancing for greeting card companies and Hallmark Cards hired
me to work in-house.
Now in Victoria, I like to walk on the beach with my dog Bean looking for driftwood for my pieces. ReStore, Value Village and hardware stores are my favourite places to browse for things to incorporate in my artwork. Some people shop for shoes. I shop for junk!
Rear Window Case
Tanya Bub
February 14 to March 3, 2025
Tanya Bub is an eco-artist who creates sculptures of animals and people from found wood and recycled materials.
A signature feature of her work
is making inanimate objects
appear to be so alive that it is
almost impossible to resist the
feeling that there is a living
being present.
Cube Gallery Spaces
Randy Barron and Susan Wright
February 14 to March 3, 2025
Randy Barron is a Victoria based
mixed 
media artist that is creating nature themed designs using formed copper, vitreous enamel, and soft glass. Growing
up in Victoria, a mostly self- taught artist, he got his start through classes in metal and art at local schools and when practicing skills
at his childhood home.
Susan Wright is a home hobbyist
with a 
huge collection of Temari balls that she has been working on since seeing a woman create one in Tim Horton's long ago.
This prompted her to try it for herself and with this display she hopes to inspire someone else.
Accessibility: Accessible washrooms, Wheelchair access, Designated handyDART loading zone and disabled parking stalls.
For inquiries related to exhibitions, please contact Shantael Sleight at shantael.sleight@saanich.ca or call 778-584-3756.