Gabriola Island, situated about 5 kilometres east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, is renowned for its vibrant arts community and natural beauty. Among the best things to do on Gabriola Island is visiting the Free Spirit Gallery Studio Shop, which showcases local contemporary art and offers classes and workshops for all ages, fostering a creative environment for creating, collecting, and appreciating visual arts.The Opal Jewellery Studio provides fine jewellery crafted by local artisans, offering a unique shopping experience with one-of-a-kind pieces.Prominent artist Tyrrell Clarke, BFA, known for her rich colors and contemporary abstract style, draws inspiration from the West Coast's natural beauty. With a career spanning over four decades, her work is globally collected. Tyrrell also supports the art community by establishing artist-run spaces. Her latest figurative paintings celebrate the divine feminine in nature.Exploring Gabriola’s art scene, with its galleries and artists, is one of the best things to do on Gabriola Island.
Workshops & Education in Gabriola
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Many artists, and creative professionals offer workshops for the public to gain knowledge, and skill in a variety of areas. Some of us find immersing ourselves in arts and culture inspires us to participate and create works of our own and through the engaged teaching process we can begin to master new skills and experiences that will enable our own creative growth. It has been said that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in any skill. That breaks down to 4 hours a day, 5 days a week for over eight years. Needless to say, learning something on your own to the point of mastery just isn’t realistic for most of us. The perfect alternative is to spend a concentrated amount of time with someone who is already a master! Develop new skills quickly under the guidance of professional artists and masters of craft. Browse our list of upcoming and ongoing workshops.
