Matin Nakhl Ahmadi  | @matna.graphy

Matin Nakhl Ahmadi is a visual artist whose photography explores memory, belonging, and cultural continuity through quiet, intimate moments. Originally from Iran and now based in Canada, he draws on his background in visual effects and cinematic storytelling to bring a painterly sensibility to his images, where light, space, and gesture become emotional language. He is especially drawn to capturing people within their environments, where subtle details like gestures, textures, and the character of a space reflect inner stories. His approach is intuitive and personal, often shaped by his own experiences of migration and reconnection with heritage.

Sandi Bassett | @sandi_bassett

Sandi Bassett is a dynamic artist who likes to push the boundaries of art. Her art is an exploration of creativity. The essence of her work is to create a connection with the viewer. Texture and colour play an important role in the telling of the stories. Where the hands take over, the art begins.

Thompson Brennan | @jthompsonbrennan

Thompson Brennan is a concept-based artist currently working primarily in paint and drawing. He believes in the power of art to “challenge, enrich and transport our imaginations.” Born in California, he has also lived in Beirut, Lebanon; New York, Washington, DC, North Carolina, coastal Maine, Seattle and in Montreal. He has lived and worked in Vancouver, BC since 2005 and has since become a Canadian citizen. He received the Pollock- Krasner Foundation grant for painting and was included in the Who’s Who of American Art in 1991. His work is included in many private and public collections in North America and abroad.

Terri Connelly |  @tewc.art

Terri Connelly is a Contemporary Interpretive Visual Artist. Her work is bold brushstrokes and use of colour creating excitement and movement. Her work is about the human connection with nature. These pieces are part of her new collection ‘Dancing through Life’. Terri’s work is collected across Canada, US and Japan.

Carol Diaz | @artbycaroli

Carol Diaz is an emerging Dominican visual artist whose practice spans from performance, video, sculpture, and painting. Rooted in the spaces she inhabits, her work draws deeply from personal experiences and her upbringing in the Dominican Republic. Through exaggerated shapes and vibrant color palettes, she seeks to evoke specific emotions and create a visceral impact. Her compositions are bold, dynamic, and unapologetically expressive—inviting viewers into a world where memory, identity, and imagination intersect.

Kirk Gower | @kirk.f.gower

Kirk Gower is a visual artist with a strong interest in portraiture and still life painting. Originally from the Sunshine Coast, Kirk currently resides on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples (Vancouver BC). He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University. Recent exhibitions include THIS Gallery, the Seymour Art Gallery, Kariton Art Gallery, and was an artist with Vancouver Mural Festival. His work has been featured in various publications including Booooooom, Create Magazine, Visionary Magazine, and Suboart Magazine.

Olivia Harks | @oliviaharksart

Olivia Harks is an oil painter and mixed media artist with a surreal, enigmatic style. Her use of floating figures in natural abstracted settings creates a distinctive language to express deeper emotions and experiences. Olivia, originally from Toronto, Canada, grew up in New Zealand and studied Architecture at Auckland University, where she began exhibiting her artwork. After earning her Master’s degree, she lived in Australia and the U.S. which influenced her work greatly. The expanse of the Arizona desert broadened the perception of space in her artworks and a dark style emerged in her drawings. She returned to Canada and is now based in Greater Vancouver, where she paints and exhibits.

Khim Hipol | @khim.hipol

Filipino-born Khim Mata Hipol is an emerging interdisciplinary artist based on the unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam Nations. Through photography, Hipol examines how a sense of identity can be manipulated through commercialization. He explores the intersections of tourism, souvenir objects, and official government symbols, demonstrating how countries establish identity through these representations. Through portraiture, he illustrates how individuals use these objects to express patriotism and nationalism while simultaneously questioning their meanings and invoking ideas of colonialism and the “foreign” Hipol graduated with a Certificate of Photography (2019) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Major in Photography with a Minor in Art and Text from Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Vancouver, 2023). Hipol was awarded the Audain Travel Award (2022), Chick Rice Award for Excellence in Photography (2023), Fund for the Arts on the North Shore (2024), an honorable mention for the Seymour Art Gallery New and Emerging Award (2022), long listed twice for the Lind Prize (2022/2023). His works have been featured in group shows at FotomotoPH (Philippines, 2025), Griffin Museum of Photography (Massachusetts 2024), Filter Photo (Chicago 2024), Pendulum Gallery (Vancouver, 2024), Access Gallery (Vancouver, 2024), The Center of Fine Arts Photography (Colorado, 2022), Exposure Photography Festival (Calgary, 2022/2023), and Ciano Umuk Gallery (La Union, Philippines, 2023/2024). Hipol’s works have been acquired by Union Christian College (Philippines) and Ciano Umuk Gallery (Philippines), and can be found in private collections in Canada, USA, and Germany.

Sheree Jones | @shereejonesfineart

Sheree Jones is an artist and oil painter living in North Vancouver. 
She has been passionate about her art since “the age of crayons”. An active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Oil Painters of America & Plein Air BC, her work can be found in numerous collections around the globe. She leads workshops in her personal studio & on plein air adventures both in BC and internationally, most recently in Mexico and France. As a respected teacher and mentor, Sheree’s enthusiastic energy brings inspiration to all those who come to work with her.

James Kemp| @sculpturejameskemp

James Kemp studied at Kwanten Poly Technic University and Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Kemp’s sculptures are in collections of the NY Fire House Gallery and the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art Gifu, Japan.  His work will be the 2017 Access Gallery Fundraiser Auction.  After working as an artist assistant for local sculptors Liz Magor and David Robinson, during which he helped produce work for the National gallery of Canada, Catriona Jeffries Gallery and a variety of public sculpture commissions throughout BC, Kemp has directed his energy to his studio practice. He has shown at gallery Fukai, Circle Craft Gallery, The Leo Koo gallery, the Windsor gallery, La Mur gallery, and at the international emerging ceramic arts exhibition in New York; his work was featured in the 2014 international ceramics festival/competition in Mino Japan where his work was awarded a Special Judges Award. More recently his sculpture Morphology IV was awarded an honorable mention at America’s Clay Fest in California. His work has been featured in The Peace Arch, The Vancouver sun, The Tri City News, The Westender, Vancouver Co-Op Radio, and Ballad Of Magazine.    

Afra Khakzad

Afra Khakzad holds a PhD in Philosophy of Art and a Master’s degree in Art Research, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. She is a visual artist whose work explores themes of identity, time, and existence through expressive figurative paintings. Afra’s art reflects her deep engagement with both Eastern aesthetics and Western philosophical thought. She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally, demonstrating her ability to convey complex emotional and cultural narratives. Now based in British Columbia, Canada, Afra continues to develop her practice, creating vibrant and symbolic works that address the tensions between tradition and modernity, presence and memory.

Morgan Kroon

Morgan Kroon studied painting at the University of Calgary and Simon Fraser University, the curriculum emphasized idea-oriented approaches to art. While immersed in this idea-oriented environment, I was especially drawn to the technical aspects of anatomical figure drawing. My current practice reflects a shift toward the classical technique.

William Liao | @williamliaofineart

William Liao is a passionate portrait artist dedicated to capturing the essence of his subjects with striking detail and emotional depth. With a keen eye for nuance and an intuitive approach to composition, he transforms canvas into a window into the soul. His work blends classical techniques with a contemporary touch, creating portraits that are both timeless and deeply personal. Inspired by the interplay of light and shadow, William meticulously crafts each piece to evoke feeling and narrative. Whether commissioned or created from his own vision, his paintings invite viewers to connect with the subject’s story and emotions. Constantly evolving, William pushes his artistic boundaries, refining his craft with every stroke. His portraits don’t just depict—they resonate.

Bita Mohabbati | @bitamohabbati

Bita Mohabbati is an internationally acclaimed artist based in Vancouver, Canada, originally from Tehran, Iran. With over three decades of experience, her work spans painting, sculpture, and arts education, where she has left a lasting impact on both students and art enthusiasts. From a young age, Bita found solace and expression through art, a passion that led to the founding of her own design studio in Tehran, where she mentored aspiring artists in both classic and contemporary styles. Although formally educated in graphic design, Bita’s true artistic voice emerged through painting and sculpture. She honed her craft through dedicated self-study, workshops, and courses, ultimately becoming a master in mediums such as oil, acrylic, and sculpture. Her creations are known for their emotional depth, engaging the viewer in a dynamic visual dialogue. Through explorations of Realism, Surrealism, and Modernism, Bita’s work invites reflection on the human experience, offering insight beyond the surface. Her portfolio includes nine solo exhibitions and participation in over 40 group exhibitions across Iran, Europe, and North America. In 2023, she brought her vibrant vision to Canada, joining Vancouver’s growing arts scene. Her work continues to captivate audiences with its bold storytelling, while her teaching and exhibitions have helped nurture a new generation of artists. Bita’s journey is one of passion, perseverance, and constant evolution, with each new piece offering a window into her unique perspective on life and art.

Peter Morgan

Peter Morgan, Digital Artist MEMENTOS There are few things more enjoyable than reminiscing with family and friends about the past – comparing notes on what we remember and what we don’t. Mostly it’s a fun-fair of happy childhood aromas and hot summers spent at the lake — all sentimental candy floss and sing-songs around the bonfire. But memory is treacherous and can quickly lead us to places we don’t want to go. The images in my MEMENTOS series are about those dark bits — souvenirs from the past that are cold and filled with the moldy, unpleasant visions our mind hides from us that we hoped had been forgotten. Each piece is based on a memory of my own or one shared by a relative or close friend. Peter Morgan spent four memorable years at OCAD University and has been passionate about Collage Art ever since. After leaving OCAD, he travelled around Asia and launched a Collage Mail Art project that lasted nearly a decade. Morgan eventually settled in Hong Kong where he worked for over two decades as an editor, journalist or contributor to media companies such as Time Warner, Conde Nast and The South China Morning Post. His job eventually moved him to Mumbai and a few years later to Thailand where he has lived for the past 20 years.

Liz Perry | @lizperryartist

Liz Perry is a Vancouver-based artist whose work centers on expressive portraiture that captures emotion, presence, and the beauty of imperfection. Working primarily in oils, she blends realism and abstraction to create faces that feel raw, honest, and deeply human. Her portraits are not just about physical likeness—they’re about what’s beneath the surface: the quiet moments of reflection, vulnerability, and strength. Through layered textures and bold brushwork, Liz invites viewers to connect with the emotional landscape of each piece. With a background in fine arts and over two decades of painting experience, her creative practice has evolved into a form of self-discovery and storytelling. Drawing inspiration from personal growth and the shared human experience, Liz’s portraits speak to those who value authenticity and emotional depth. Her work encourages a pause—a moment to see ourselves and others more clearly, flaws and all.

Anthony Russo | @russo.veneziano

Anthony Russo is an up-and-coming artist with a breadth of work focusing primarily on the human figure. Although his work is grounded in realism, he will never shy away from pushing or pulling the form of a figure in order to embrace a narrative, no matter how subtle. With influences ranging from Sargent to the Saint Petersburg Academy; his work exhibits an exploration into rhythm, gesture, anatomy, but above all, play.

Sonia Sehat Niaki | @soniasniakiart

With a background in technology, art was a lifelong passion first explored in childhood. Following retirement, Sonia pursued formal training in fine art and painting at Emily Carr University. Now working as a full time artist, she enjoys experimenting with a range of media and artistic styles. Her current focus is on mixed media, often expressed through a semi-abstract approach that that blends texture, color and emotion.

Meghan Sharir | @meghan.sharir

Meghan is a West Vancouver-based Canadian artist who focuses primarily on realist portraiture and figurative oil painting. Meghan has had a life-long interest in art but came to painting later, after a degree in International Relations, years living and working in Europe, sailing around the world, then raising a family. Her artistic training is as eclectic as her life experience and includes courses in Fine Arts at UBC and Emily Carr, frequent and ongoing workshops and classes with local and international artists, and countless hours standing in art museums all over the world. Her driving obsession is to expand her understanding of the human form in order to clearly and effectively communicate its beauty. She is an award-winning and Signature Member of the FCA who exhibits frequently in juried shows and private venues and also undertakes regular portrait commissions

Janet Strayer | @janetstrayerart

Janet Strayer’s imaginative and skilled paintings express her commitment to artistic exploration and creative development. Shown and collected internationally, her artworks focus upon moments connecting our inner and outer lives (perhaps reflecting her enduring interests as a lifespan psychologist and creative life writer).

Sande Waters | @sandewaters

Sande received her BFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver, BC and MFA from San Francisco Art Institute, California, USA. Currently she is a member of the North Vancouver Public Art Advisory Committee and was formerly an Assistant Curator at the Lions Gate Hospital Healing Power of Art Program. Previously Sande was Vice President, Board of Directors at the Seymour Art Gallery, North Vancouver and on the Board of Directors for the Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver as Chair of the Artist Prize. Her artwork has been shown and collected in Canada, USA, and Europe. Sande lives and works in Deep Cove, North Vancouver, BC as a guest on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw, Stó:l?, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

Frances Watt

Frankie Watt-Elphinstone received her degree from Goldsmiths, University of London, UK. Her practice includes printmaking and painting. Her portraits have been exhibited with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in London and published by Taschen Books. Her work is in many public and private collections in Canada and the UK including the University of Cambridge. She is based in Vancouver, British Columbia.