Mark your calendars for Gorge on Art!
When: July 1, 2026, 8.30 am - 4.00 pm
Where: Gorge Waterway Park
Cost: Free!
Gorge on Art is an annual showcase of artists, offered in conjunction with the Gorge Tillicum Community Association's Gorge Canada Day Picnic.
Gorge on Art features an artist market of over 30 different vendors from a range of disciplines, styles and mediums, including photography, painting, textiles, woodworking, digital art, handicrafts, jewelry and more. Visitors can browse booths and static displays, meet the artists, enjoy live art demonstrations, and purchase original handcrafted pieces and artistic works.
Come celebrate Canada Day by exploring the diverse talent of our local artists and creators!
Artists
Natasha van Netten
Natasha van Netten is a Canadian visual artist based in Victoria, British Columbia. Her practice focuses on whales, marine sciences and cetology (the study of whales, dolphins and porpoises). As a multi-disciplinary artist, Natasha uses a variety of mediums such as oil paint, ink, seawater and metal to conceptually explore scientific information. Her art practice is strongly influenced by growing up along the BC coast and by her experiences at sea as crew on a sailing vessel.
BERNIES
Felting is fast becoming a popular art medium and Linda continues to perfect new techniques and methods to develop quality products. Over the past decade, Linda has honed her felting craft, transforming raw wool into exquisite works of art. Her felting journey began as a simple hobby, a way to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life, but it quickly grew into a passion that consumes her every moment. Her creations include animals and woodland creatures such as birds, seals, raccoons, and mushrooms. Many are mounted on driftwood giving them an almost lifelike look. Others are almost always referenced as adorable.
Aviv's Happy Crafts
Aviv is a 29 year old 'Outsider Folk Artist' with Down Syndrome, Diabetes Type 1 and an unknown bone disease. She's had 5 successful Solo Gallery Shows in Victoria, at Sipral Cafe, Arc Hive, Xchanges, and Cedar Hill Rec Centre Main Gallery. In 2024, Aviv won first at the Saanich Fair in Adult Needlepoint for Original Design, and second in both Adult Needlepoint Livestock and Adult Combined Technique Original Design. Her work was purchased by warner Bros for two Netflix series, and the City of Victoria displayed her work on three giant bus shelter poster in 2019. Aviv would like to "help folks to feel happy" with her art!
December Studio Art
Dalyce Crossley is a self-taught artist specializing in digital illustration. Her work depicts animals, people and the natural world in a minimalist style inspired by mid-century modern design, folk art, and the wild, mystical landscapes of the west coast. Her passion for creativity began in childhood, but it wasn’t until her mid-30s, that she became serious about her artistic journey. Dalyce aims to make art that feels hopeful, and that inspires joy in the heart of the viewer. She works in a private home studio based in beautiful Quw’utsun (Cowichan Valley) BC.
Zoe LT Arts
Zoe Thompson is a water colour artist based in Victoria, BC. Inspired by the lush and vibrant landscapes of the island, Zoe’s art explores nature through rich colour palettes and a combination of both unique and traditional watercolour techniques. Growing up along the Gorge Waterway fostered her lifelong passion for capturing the natural beauty surrounding her. Through her paintings, Zoe hopes to share a piece of this beauty with others, inviting them to experience the art and magic of their surroundings.
Flame Work Designs
Flame Work Designs was established in 2004 when two incredibly artistic people met and fell in love. Carolyn had been previously practicing flame working as a hobby and when she met Anthony she taught him her skills and he loved it too. Turns out that many other people were in love with what they were doing and so they decided to make it an official company in 2005. Since then, they've toured the world on various cruise lines and have created a following for not only their beautiful creations but who they are as people. When you meet them in person you're not only taking home a bit of their creativity but you also take home a piece of them.
Art by Sharon Lam
Sharon Lam is a watercolour and digital illustration artist who’s passionate about capturing the spirit of places through her art. Her practice began in 2019 while drawing her family’s favourite places in Victoria during her mother’s time in hospice care - a project that has since grown to over 200 drawings of her hometown and is intended for future publication as a book. Her work aims to capture the spirit and story of a place, celebrating the importance of memory, identity and community.
Mayumi gon Nogami
Mayumi Nogami is a Victoria-based artist originally from Tokyo, Japan. Working with gouache and ink, she creates vibrant compositions defined by bold black lines and luminous colour. Her work draws inspiration from travel, cultural encounters, and the natural energy of the places she lives and visits. Influenced by the surrounding mountains, ocean, and city life of the West Coast, her paintings explore movement, rhythm, and connection. Through her work, Mayumi aims to express a sense of joy and vitality while creating images that resonate across cultures and invite viewers into a shared visual experience.
Chelsea Richardson and Annely So
MikeLathrop
Born and raised in Calgary, Mike Lathrop moved to Victoria to earn a degree in Visual Arts from the University of Victoria from 1990-94. Mike lives with his spouse and two children in Victoria. He works in his home studio, and sells original paintings and limited edition giclée prints.
Cara Leanne Art
Aiming to evoke a sense of fun and joy, Cara creates bright and cheerful acrylic and paper collage paintings. With a palette full of vivid, bold colours, she brings a vibrant energy to life in every piece.
Richard Wong WatercoloursRichard Wong is a professional wildlife artist/instructor living in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. His unique blend of delicate watercolour images on Japanese art paper is widely recognized and collected. Richard is a full time watercolour artists and instructor, teaching in-person and online.
Andrew Woodford
Andrew is a facilitator, outdoor educator and illustrator living and working on Vancouver Island. When not searching out the perfect wave, paddleboard touring or finding a new climbing route, he can be found sketching his latest ideas and adventuring with his family. He lives by the notion that ”life is a journey, not a destination” and he tries to capture this in his artwork.
Rowan
Rowan Doucette is a painter, illustrator, printmaker and writer, and holds a BFA in painting from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Her practices explores how art embodies us - how we embody art. Using introspection as a central tool, Doucette investigates herself and the world around her, translating these reflections into paintings, prints, and writings.
Patti M West
Patti resides in Victoria, BC in close proximity to the forests, ocean, river and lakes that she loves and that inspire her creations. She has honed her strongest skills in acrylics on canvas paintings in vivid colors using high contrasts and textures to accentuate her subject. She is passionate about relating to the spiritual presence of “place”, endeavoring to invite the viewer into an intimate relationship with the view presented in each painting.
Chronically Clever
"Hello art loving friends! I’m Jess, or Chronically Clever. I create hand drawn creations using ink, pencil crayons, & watercolours. I’ve been an art nerd since I could walk, but shortly after finishing my undergrad, I contracted a very rare, lifelong and sadly 24/7 migraine condition (NDPH). Once I managed to function outside of my deep dark cave, I found that art was a wonderful distraction from my high pain levels and anxiety. Art also brings me so much joy and self worth that I worried was lost. My love of art and sharing it with others is endless but due to my condition it is a very slow labour of love with many setbacks. However, if one of my creations has brought you a little less stress and more joy then it’s always worth it. Thank you for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!"
Lifespiritart
A life-threatening illness became a turning point, prompting Jane to seek spiritual meaning and transforming art into her visual language—a way to explore, process, and communicate her inner world. Her work is characterized by loose, expressive brushstrokes, imaginative and sometimes whimsical imagery, and a vibrant passion for color. Nature frequently serves as both context and metaphor, while world events and the tumultuous times we live in also inform her visual storytelling.
Joanell Storm
Joanell is mostly a self-taught artist who has spent a lifetime developing a love and appreciation for the outdoors. She is particularly inspired by the diversity and beauty of the ecosystems of Vancouver Island and her paintings and drawings reflect this. She employs a wide range of media, from pastel to acrylic painting and block printing, and she has developed her own unique style of “wire drawings”.
Harvey Pfluger Woodwork
Harvey works with all natural wood from the island such as oak, maple, locust, dogwood, cherry, and more. If someone has a downed tree or wants their apple tree removed, Harvey is there to pick it up and turn it on his lathe. Before he can turn it he has to run it through a bandsaw and carve out something to work with. Then the wood goes into a drying room for up to one year. He sees his work as a hobby from the earth, turned and worked on with love and endless ideas.
Sarah Mulligan Glass
As luck would have it, over 29 years ago a wrong turn down a hallway landed Canadian Glass Artisan Sarah Mulligan in the School of Craft and Design building at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. That day she discovered the hot glass studio and has been working with glass ever since. Sarah’s body of work is a combination of blown glass vessels and glass jewelry. All her work maintains an affinity for minimalist design, attention to detail and a commitment to craftsmanship.
Nagel
Nagel is currently attending Spectrum Community School where they are taking art classes and contributing to the yearbook and magazine. Outside of school, they enjoy trying out as many artistic mediums as they can. They include elements of contrast and bright colours across all of these materials. Whether it’s a bowl or a portrait, Nagel is quick to play with contrast in their pieces. Recently they’ve been leaning more into abstraction within their work, especially through pottery. Nagel is constantly searching for new ways to experiment with artwork, and plans on creating for their whole life.
Rebecca Luise Art
Rebecca’s passion for animals and nature has lead her on many adventures both personally and professionally. Being able to combine her passion for animals and for drawing has been the best adventure yet! Rebecca draws inspiration from local wildlife in BC, Canada as well as from her home country, England. She also loves creating individual pieces for pet lovers and owners, specializing in realistic, graphite drawings.
Ariana Zimmermann Art
Ariana is an emerging, self-taught artist based in Victoria, B.C. Her mixed-media paintings center on animals, translating the human experience through the archetypal symbolism of wildlife. She creates images of the natural world that balance imagination with representation: honoring the beauty in nature while creating space for the magic, mystery, and interpretation in the human-nature relationship. Ariana pulls from her academic background in both Environmental Studies and Anthropology to inform her work. She is particularly interested in the concept of “emotional ecology”—the idea that a deep bond and love for the natural world is foundational to all environmental conservation and sustainability efforts.
Meaghan Crow's Artwork
While also doing more traditional representations of landscapes and wildlife, Crow's passion lies with surrealism, which allows her expansive imagination to play in her colourful, whimsical paintings. Her dreamlike landscapes combine elements of the familiar and unknown to create new worlds, both tempting to explore and uncertain. Similarly, Crow’s surreal creatures combine recognizable features of different animals and mushrooms to create hybrid characters, brought to life with captivating eyes.
If you would like more information or are interested in participating in Gorge on Art in 2027, please email events@saanich.ca .
