Tatjana Mirkov-Popovicki 

'Coastal Light'

Akemi Emma Ito

'Daydreaming, Horseshoe Bay'

Lil Chrzan

'April Morning, Seaview Trail'

Emma Fish

'Twilight Nights'

Experience the original artwork from the You Are Here 2026 Calendar featuring beautiful scenes & stories of the North Shore by artists: Glenn Bohn, Lil Chrzan, Christine Cowan, Emma Fish, Akemi Emma Ito, Sue Johnson, Sam Kaplan, Shelley McDonald, Shirley McKell, Tatjana Mirkov-Popovicki, Leonid Rozenberg & Marilynn Tebbit.

These remarkable pieces capture a variety of styles from realistic to illustrative to semi-abstract; across a range of media including oil, ink & acrylic.

Theses stunning works of art were used to create a 2026 calendar that is being used as a promotional & fundraising tool for the North Shore Culture Compass. Initiated by  North Van Arts, the Culture Compass is a free online map showcasing the art, heritage & stories of the North Shore. Using the Culture Compass you can discover local arts & culture organizations, public art, festivals & events, destinations of cultural & natural heritage & so much more!

Experience the beauty & wonder of the North Shore through these familiar scenes presented through 12 unique & distinct points of view.

Opening Reception

Thu. Jan. 22, 5 - 7 pm

Join us in celebrating these talented artist! Experience the artwork & meet the creators.

Produced in partnership with

Brandy Mars 

'Lily Pads'

Alli van Gruen

'Reunited And It Feels So Good'

Painters Brandy Mars & Alli van Gruen center the human figure in their expressive & joyful works that search for connection with themselves, community & memory.

Brandy Mars is a Vancouver based oil painter whose work celebrates LGBTQIA+ lives & loves. Mars’s paintings often feature feminine figures showing affection for each other. Whether it’s a comforting embrace or erotic clinch, the characters in her narratives reach & grasp to connect. Having worked in fashion & film, Mars applies an almost dream like sense of storytelling with hints of surreal environments & feathery brushstrokes that blur the edges of the subjects, all crafted in vibrant colour. Hoping that others will feel seen in her works, Mars aims to build bridges through celebrating  queer joy & universally human experience of reaching for connection.

Alli van Gruen is a multimedia painter based in Whistler whose work is rooted in intimacy & nostalgia. Van Gruen employs figures & objects pulled from memory & old family photos to suggest an event or moment that left an impression. Scenes are varied yet common – laughing over a meal, a walk on the beach, a festive family outing – yet all center around connecting with others. Using a variety of materials including acrylics, inks, pastels & watercolour, van Gruen’s expressive brushwork infuses each story with the energy of the moment & rush to capture a memory. Van Gruen hopes to spark viewers’ own memories of joy & togetherness, creating an intimate connection of shared nostalgia.

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