Landscape, colour and imagination celebrated at Armstrong art gallery

Landscape, colour and imagination celebrated at Armstrong art gallery

Published 2:00 pm Monday, May 18, 2026

Vibrant colours and creativity are on display at a dual show at the Armstrong Spallumcheen Museum & Art Gallery.

Shuswap Plein Air Troupe and Nancy Vince help welcome summer with the exhibit opening Thursday, May 28, with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

“Pairing expressive landscape painting with bright, whimsical imagery in a show that promises plenty of colour and character,” said administrator Will Cullen.

The exhibition runs through June 27.

In the Main Gallery, Together: From There to Here brings together the work of Diane Akey, Maureen Howard and Patricia L. Smith.

“Painting as the Shuswap Plein Air Troupe, the three artists share a love of working in and around the landscape, and that sense of connection comes through clearly in the show,” said Cullen.

Their work captures the feel of place in different ways, from textured, energetic surfaces to more reflective and atmospheric responses to the natural world.

“There is also a sense of friendship and shared experience at the heart of the exhibition.”

These are artists who paint together, travel together when schedules allow, and clearly take joy in the process.

“The result is a show that feels lively and personal, with each artist bringing her own perspective while still contributing to a larger conversation about landscape, memory and time spent outdoors.”

In the Freeze Gallery, A Touch of Whimsy features the work of Coldstream’s Vince, whose high-definition metal prints bring a very different energy to the gallery.

Her pieces are saturated with colour and packed with playful detail: flowers, birdhouses, mushrooms, butterflies, bees, cottages and lakeside scenes all appear in a world that feels cheerful, slightly enchanted and full of small surprises.

“Vince’s work has an immediate brightness to it, but it also invites a slower look,” said Cullen. “Tucked into the images are little moments and storybook touches that give the work its charm, whether it is a quiet shoreline, a leaning tree, or a tiny creature hidden among blooms and branches. The metal format gives the pieces a clean, luminous finish that suits their vivid palette especially well.”

“Together, the two exhibitions offer visitors two distinct ways of seeing: one grounded in shared observation of the world outside, the other turning nature into something playful, intimate and imaginative. It makes for an inviting early-summer show and a strong reason to stop in at the gallery.”

Additionally, the Museum & Art Gallery’s recently reopened Gift Shop is also welcoming several local artists this season.

New additions include paintings by Sheila Hobenshield and Arlene Armstrong, Joanne Hobbs’ handcrafted Shaker boxes, and Marian Wilson’s porcelain chickens. Returning favourites include Louise Everest’s knitting, along with art cards by Vince and Cathy Shultz.