We offer local Arts & Crafts in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Sit and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee or tea and nibble on a home-made cookie or locally made pastry
We are pleased to offer Bill Maylone’s new collection of vibrant acrylics at Shavasana Gallery. The show is titled “Bleeding Colours” and is a colourful display of 15 pieces of Bill’s talent for abstract expressionism. The show commences July 1st and will be available – Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the month of July – come down for a coffee and a chance to see these stunning works in person!
As an added bonus, we have decided to extend Famous Empty Sky’s gorgeous collection of Multi-Media Collage work for another month. Her thoughtful blend of paint, collage, and 3-dimensional items are quite popular so the decision was made to run the show until the end of July. There is also an extensive selection of cards bearing images of her beautiful collage work from over 40 years of artistry…again, please come by if you haven’t yet had the opportunity to view her new “In Isolation” Series.
As many of you who frequent Shavasana Gallery on Mayne Island are likely aware, when I am coming to open up, usually Thursday thru Sunday, I commute from Vancouver to get there, and most often as a foot passenger, taking a series of buses, subways, more buses, the ferry (of course) and my trusty ’97 GMC Safari, waiting for me patiently at overflow parking on Mayne. It’s generally a pleasant trip and over the years I have come to appreciate public transit as a place of stress-free travel (no white-knuckling on the freeway), where I can “veg out” with my cell phone, do a little work, communicate with friends, maybe learn something, stare out the window or observe the other commuters who share this journey with me.
For years, this trip would plop me onto the Broadway B-Line Bus from Alma to Cambie so I could catch the Canada Line at Broadway/City Hall Station for the zippy short trip to Bridgeport….no longer. The construction which has descended on Broadway in preparation for the new Subway corridor has made that portion of the trip unpredictable, unsightly and unpleasant – hence, Downtown.
It occurred to me recently that I could avoid all the noises, chaos and delays of Broadway by easily going downtown and catching the Subway at the corner of Georgia and Granville, with no time lost – problem solved – here are a few pics of what I now see on my trip to Mayne Island.
And incidentally, I will be open this coming Victoria Day Long Weekend, as follows: Fri. 9 – 4, Sat. 9 – 4, Sun. 10:30 – 4, Mon. 9 – 4 – hope to see you then!
Spring definitely seems to be taking its time to kick-in this year. Lots of false starts, with days that feel warm, sunny & encouraging only to be squelched by new rounds of grey skies, rain and cold – which is exactly where we are at as I write this entry on May 2, from my home office in Kitsilano. Maybe I should just lose my expectations and anticipations of “gardening weather”, and let nature do its thing to avoid disappointment.
The “Made on Mayne” event, which ran Easter Weekend was fabulous and one of my busiest weekends ever. We opened a show for Famous Empty Sky, called her “In Isolation Series”, which showcased her beautiful array of new collage-works – this exhibit should be up and running throughout May & possibly longer (except for the pieces we sold! 😆) I’m not sure where she gets her energy but Famous Empty Sky also baked 8 dozen cupcakes (as shown) to be handed out to grateful guests. We were also treated to some lovely jamming by her husband Jim Heshedahl and friends (Rodger Cove (Hrothgar Jackson), Kurt Dahl, & Brendan Brown)…here are our hours for May:
Just getting ready to re-open the Gallery Café for the Easter Weekend, which happens to coincide with the “Made on Mayne” (image attached) event sponsored by the Southern Gulf Islands Arts Council. This will be similar to the Fall Studio Tour which ran last November and was a great success, but has now grown to include all things “Made on Mayne”. I am also the lucky recipient of a new show by Famous Empty Sky and her beautiful collage work. We’ll be hanging her new – hitherto unseen – show on Thursday in preparation for our Friday to Monday showings.
I feel quite fortunate to be welcoming back Famous Empty Sky as my first art show after two years of pandemic event precautions. As I’m sure you are all aware “Group Events”, like Art Openings have not only been discouraged, they have been banned. So, getting together with her and her husband Jim to hang the show on April 14th for an Easter Weekend Opening was a real treat. To illustrate how “rusty” I have become during this time, I am only now (May 2) editing my “Current Exhibits” page to reflect this new show that we have – something I would normally do prior to each new opening. And, in fact, we did not put together a big evening soirée as we would normally do, but chose to promote the show over the course of the first 4 days of its run, to avoid big crowds out of respect for attendees lingering precautions – but things are improving.🙏 I think the 8 dozen cupcakes that Famous Empty Sky baked to hand out to guests may have helped people to overcome their anxieties about public places😆
Famous Empty Sky’s , new exhibit is called her “In Isolation Series”, which showcased her beautiful array of new collage-works – this show should be up and running throughout May & possibly longer (except for the pieces we sold! 😆) I’m not sure where she gets her energy but the 8 dozen cupcakes (as shown) which she baked were a big hit with our grateful guests. We were also treated to some lovely jamming by her husband Jim Heshedahl and friends (Rodger Cove (Hrothgar Jackson), Kurt Dahl, & Brendan Brown).
Please drop by during our hours of operation to enjoy these gorgeous collages…(sorry, cupcakes are all gone, I ate the last one!😆)
Hours of Operation:
Friday & Saturday: 9am – 4pm
Sunday: 10:30 – 4pm
Monday: 9am – 4pm
It’s promising to be a fabulous event, please come on by!
Just a quick note to let you all know that I’m switching up my hours for this weeks opening. I have an event to attend on Sunday so I’ll remain open for Monday April 4 to Thursday April 6.
Hope to see you then!…………..Cheers! George
(ps*the featured image in this post is from one of those rare, warm, sunny moments mid-February when I was able to hit my favourite little beach on Navy Channel …hopefully we’ll all have more moments like this as our days start to warm up👍)
(**pps – WordPress has sent a few instructions of how to install “donation buttons” on my website that connect to my Stripe account – as business has been a bit “thin” these past two years due to the pandemic, I’m not averse to any largesse you’d like to send my way to help offset expenses – try it, it’s fun! 😆 )
Just a quick announcement that I will be opening up this coming weekend, Friday March 18th, Saturday 19th, & Sunday 20th. Friday & Saturday hours are 9am til 4pm, and Sunday is 10:15ish until 4pm.
Hi – I’m just posting this message to let all of you know that I shall be re-opening for business this coming weekend. It seems that the Omicron spike has subsided, the cases & hospitalizations are back down to their pre-Omicron level, and heck, I just feel like opening up because I miss you all so much! 🙂
So many of my posts of the past two years have reflected on the worrisome nature of the pandemic and the strangeness of our collective experience. Sadly, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine things are no less worrisome and we seem to be embarking on another journey into unknown territory. My heart goes out to the Ukrainian people at this time.😢
If all goes as planned I shall be following my winter/spring hours and opening Shavasana Gallery & Café one or two weekends/weekdays per month until my summer schedule kicks in. Here are this weekends Days/Hours:
Friday: 9am – 4pm, Saturday: 9am – 4pm, Sunday: 10:15am – 4pm (I may also be open Monday TBA)
Today, January 4, I will wander up to Dunbar to receive my 3rd vaccine shot – my Booster – thus, hopefully, completing the Trifecta of Protection that the system is telling us we need for personal and collective safety. We’ll see.
When I closed the Gallery/Café on December 16 – for my annual Xmas break – my intention was to open a couple of weekends per month throughout the winter season in 2022. Although we’d heard about the new Omicron variant at that time, most of the spike in cases was happening in South Africa – where it originated – and Europe, where it appears to have spread. On December 16, new cases in Canada stood at 6,942…rising but not as bad as waves # 2, 3, or 4 (see chart below)
Within a few days of closing it became apparent that Canada was going to follow on the same trajectory that we’d witnessed in Europe, and where we are in fact – now. Numbers/Cases have pretty much gone “off the chart” and we are all left wondering how to navigate this new situation. Luckily, it seems that Omicron – although terribly virulent – may not be as life-threatening as its predecessor – the Delta variant – and, there may be early indicators that this dramatic rise in cases may be short lived.
In any event, my responsibility as a Gallery/Café owner, is to ensure the safety and well-being of my customers, and of course, myself and my partner Cathy. Given this uncertain moment we are experiencing, I have decided to remain closed until we have a better understanding of the severity of the Omicron variant, and we see the numbers start to decline dramatically. I will also feel somewhat more secure when I have allowed my new booster to work its magic, which apparently takes about two weeks.
All that being said, my feeling is that we’ll start to see a decline mid January, and should have a better idea about Booster efficacy and the severity of the variant (Of course, my friend Jordy had to point out to me this morning that Jimmy Fallon has been vaxxed and boosted and has just tested positive for Covid-19 😆)It’s been a weird ride…
In a perfect world, I shall be opening the Gallery/Café sometime in late January or early February – hope to see you then! Stay Safe🙏❤️
It’s a rainy Friday afternoon and I’m sitting having a coffee at the Starbucks at the corner of 49th and Fraser. I like this Bucks for its international clientele, perhaps one of the most ethnically diverse areas of town. Although I’ve lived all over Vancouver, I have a fondness for this area as I spent the first 8 years of my childhood just a kilometre from here.
From the Brilliant mind of Bill Maylone – Maelstrom – available at the Gallery until 2020, for only $795
Just gearing up for my final days of operation before I close for the season on the 16th. This next period of opening is atypical for me as I’m planning on being open Weekdays rather than on a weekend – we’ll see how this experiment plays out, here are my upcoming hours of operation:
Monday December 13, noon til 4pm, Tuesday December 14, 9am til 4pm, Wednesday December 15, 9am til 4pm and Thursday December 16 9am til 4pm
“Somewhere Nearby Soon” Framed Acrylic, a Bathgate original , at the Gallery only $225
And, there’s still time to drop in and enjoy some of the lovely collage work that Famous Empty Sky has produced during the pandemic, “In Isolation Series” with a couple of new pieces added since last week!
These are also the last few days to pop in and grab a coffee and a delicious Christmas Baked Good – lovingly crafted by MJ Tiller…here are some of her creations:
The featured image for this post (above) was made by island (and National) artist Cedar Christie, who sadly passed away last year. It is on loan to the Gallery until her estate sorts out its final destination. If you are interested in purchasing this piece by Cedar, let me know and I’ll make inquiries with her executor.
It’s been about three weeks since my last post and during that time I had my busiest weekend ever at the Gallery, BC was visited by the Atmospheric River Rain Disaster, and a new worrisome variant – “The Omicron” – has been discovered in South Africa which has WHO officials concerned.
Despite the pleasant distractions of a buzzing little Gallery Café it’s impossible to ignore the ongoing stresses of the pandemic and the plights of those affected by our regional disaster – my heart goes out to them all. I just spoke to my cousin Dona yesterday who has a small farm in Abbotsford and she and her family and her four horses had to evacuate to higher ground as their property was under 14 inches of water. Her 70 chickens seemed undisturbed by the chaos as their Coop was raised up above the flood, so they remained in place.
Just hours after learning of the new variant coming out of South Africa, I was walking along West Broadway in Kitsilano to go and pick up some Thai Takeout when I noticed this truck…”Omicron – A Better Way”
Of course, we’ll have to see what the new variant brings but until then, Shavasana Gallery & Café will be operating under existing pandemic guidelines for Gallery/Cafés’…masks are mandatory but Vaccine Passports are not, there is limited indoor seating (9 indoor seats at present with about 18 outdoor seats – weather permitting), and a hand-sanitizing station is available…here are our December hours:
Friday December 3rd, 10am-4pm, Saturday the 4th, 10am – 4pm, Sunday the 5th, 10:30am – 4pm, Monday the 6th, 10am – 4pm
I am also intending on opening mid month* as follows:
Monday December 13th, 12noon – 4pm, Tuesday the 14th 10am – 4pm, Wednesday the 15th, 10am – 4pm, and Thursday the 16th, 10am – 4pm (*this is a bit of an experiment as I’ve never been open weekdays before)
As many of you may be aware, I commute from Vancouver to Mayne Island to run Shavasana Gallery & Café. Over the years I’ve chosen to travel by public transit to the ferry and make my crossing as a Foot Passenger, rather than bringing my car, as it saves me thousands of dollars each year in travel expenses. I’ve come to appreciate Public Transit and find sitting on the bus to be relaxing and surprisingly quick, and I have to say that after all these years, I’ve never once considered assaulting a Bus Driver!😆
It seems strange that the Transit Authority has to remind people of this, or, it’s indicative of a much more dangerous job than most of us are aware of. I’m thinking of getting one for the Gallery, “Assaults on Curators will not be Tolerated”…
The featured image for this article is a carved icon we call “The Dancing Lady”…she has been on display at Shavasana Gallery on consignment with me for several years, and is being returned to the owner who “misses her”. The Dancing lady is a wonderfully intricate wooden carving by a member of the Oddar community in India…now I will miss her
Art Gallery & Café 