In honour of a late painter, a local art studio and her husband will host a retro art show in her memory.
According to a release for the show, Denise MacNeill’s collection will exhibit in ‘Coming Home’ at the Art 10 Gallery in Nanaimo North Town Centre until Oct. 31.
A press release notes that MacNeill, a Nanaimo-based painter who died of cancer in 2021, was “given a great gift” to paint the world around her.
As a primarily self-taught fine artist, she started working in watercolours and progressed to acrylic and oil paints later in life. She was known for her portrayals of arbutus trees and local scenery, having been strongly influenced by Westwood Lake and Buttertubs Marsh from walking the same Nanaimo trails a thousand times, noted the release.
“There is so much beauty out there in nature, it stops me dead in my tracks,” MacNeill said. “So I just come home to my studio and let all that out onto canvas.”
The release also noted that MacNeill liked to challenge herself, and once decided to paint 50 paintings within a six-month period, learning more about her own style and preferences. Those 50 paintings culminated in an art show for the Old School House Arts Centre in Qualicum Beach in 2018.
“In addition to her own art study, Denise worked for many years with challenged adults, often finding creative outlets for their artistic endeavours,” read the release.
The painter is very missed by the Vancouver Island arts community and family, noted the release.
Proceeds from the ‘Coming Home’ show will go to the Denise MacNeill Endowment Fund at Vancouver Island University.
READ MORE: Nanaimo painter presents ‘Parks and Paths’ exhibit
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