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There was a great turnout at the Viva Vida Gallery in Pointe-Claire Village this past Friday night, for the Vernissage of their juried "Small Works & One-of-a-Kind" exhibition. It was nice to chat with the three fellow members of the Artists Circle of the West Island who also had paintings accepted into this show; Elsy Torres, Catherine Zanbaka, and Doina Bundaru. Many thanks to Catherine, for taking a photo of me with one of my two watercolours!


It was also lovely to meet several members of different local art associations for the first time, and to see their paintings on display; Alicia Sosa (and José), Manjit Singh Chatrik, and others. This juried art show features a wide range of artworks, from ceramics/pottery to fabrics/textiles to paintings/sketches to sculpture and more.



The concept is to expose visitors to a variety of pieces by local artists, and to provide some truly original gift ideas for anyone who’s doing their holiday shopping. The entire Pointe-Claire Village area is known for its original and quirky boutiques, cafés, and beautiful lakefront location – so it’s well worth a visit, particularly on a beautiful weekend!
This exhibition continues through January 10, 2025, so if you’re in the West Island area of Montréal, drop in and take a look. The Viva Vida Gallery and Art Centre is on Lakeshore Road in Pointe-Claire Village, between Sainte-Anne and Lourdes Streets (at 278 chemin Bord-du-Lac/Lakeshore Road).

The Gallery’s hours are Saturdays from 1000 to 1700, Sundays from noon to 1600, and Tuesdays through Thursdays from 1000 to 1700 (closed on Mondays).
As with the other boutiques in “the Village” in previous years, they may add extended holiday hours at some point in December, but these have yet to be confirmed. 

If you’ll be in the Hudson area next Saturday, northwest of Montréal Island, I’ll be at the “Christmas in the Country” artisans’ and artists’ sale at the scenic Whitlock Golf and Country Club. That’s a full-day indoor event, with no entrance fee or tickets required, from 1000 to 1600. 
We’ll be collecting non-perishable items at this event, for a local food bank, so if you do drop by please try to bring in a food item!
My sweetheart will be there for the day, as my ‘right hand man’, literally and figuratively – because my right hand and arm are severely affected by CRPS (a rare disease now called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD). That’s actually one of the main reasons I started learning to paint and sketch in 2021, as a form of brain-plasticity or neuroplasticity training for the chronic pain in my hand and arm – as well as for the Mild Cognitive Impairment that developed at the end of 2018 as a result of this autoimmune and neuro-inflammatory disease.
So my table at this Hudson art event will include a section with some information on chronic pain, as part of my Art Despite Pain (#ArtDespitePain) initiative; using my artwork and events to raise awareness of chronic pain while encouraging others living with persistent pain to try creative pursuits as a way to help manage their own pain.
Hope to see you there: Whitlock Golf and Country Club, 128 Côte St-Charles, Hudson QC, from 1000 to 1600 on Saturday November 23, 2024!