September 1 - 27, 2026
OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, September 5th, 1pm
Rooted in a shared passion for nature and shaped by life on the coast of British Columbia, Momentary Connections brings together works by Peggy Arnett and Shannon McWhinney. This exhibition began with quiet moments of recognition, as the natural world slowly unfolded around us. A deer paused and glanced back through the foliage. The shoreline shifted in changing light. The rustle of nearby leaves unexpectedly captured our attention. These fleeting encounters are brief, but they are not small; they anchor us in the moment and continue to echo in our memories.
For us, looking is never passive. To meet the gaze of another living presence, to notice movement at the edge of the water is to enter into moments of shared space. There is humour in these moments, and tenderness; there is also an awareness of nature’s fragility and force. The encounter passes, but its presence remains.
The coast becomes a place where connection is both intimate and temporary. Weather changes, light moves, creatures appear and disappear, and each encounter carries the sense of something unique, experienced only briefly. In these works, such moments become a way of considering our place within the natural world and our relationships with its inhabitants. A rain-soaked eagle can invite sympathy after a difficult day; an eagle and crab in unexpected battle can bring laughter when the crab emerges victorious; a small bird can bring joy in a moment of sadness. Watching a bear or raccoon forage along the shoreline, digging under rocks and reaching into the water for a delicious prize, becomes an act of curiosity, attention, and connection.
Although Shannon McWhinney and Peggy Arnett share a deep reverence for nature, their approaches are distinct. McWhinney begins with large, expressive brushstrokes, allowing the image to emerge through the act of painting and bringing order to chaos. Her process recalls the rustle of foliage before a deer steps into view. Often, the work is completed through the expression in the creature’s eye, drawing the viewer into a moment of recognition. Arnett begins with expressive compositions that present creatures and their surroundings as a unified presence. She is drawn to painting images that have scars from the power of nature – broken branches, driftwood, ruffled feathers, finding beauty in the marks that remain. As the work develops, marks and brushwork become increasingly abstract, building energy until the image reforms as the viewer steps back from the painting.
Together, these works reflect on the echoes that remain after a fleeting encounter has passed. A gaze held for only a second, movement at the edge of vision, or a moment of recognition between human and wild presence can continue to live in memory long after the scene has shifted. Momentary Connections is about these brief meetings with wildlife and the natural world – connections made in passing, but carried forward as memory, story and feeling.