Immerse yourself in an evening of light, sound, and unique artwork by Mary Mitchell. Join us at the Surf Lodge for this art experience. Admission is free—don’t miss out!
Please note: this event includes intense light effects, which may affect individuals with photosensitivity.
November 22nd and 23rd
Evening Only : 5-9PM
FREE admission
Heritage Hall - Surf Lodge, Gabriola
Witness the transformative power of light on these unique paintings. Created through a meticulous, multi-layer process using regular, UV-sensitive, and glow-in-the-dark pigments, each piece comes alive and shifts with changing light—offering a truly dynamic visual experience.
I've always loved neon. As a child of the '80s, I was all about neon—bracelets, coats, fanny packs, shoelaces, you name it. Neon was everywhere. Many of my paintings from Lily and Flinge and the Piece of Kibble featured neon colors, but unfortunately, these shades couldn’t be replicated in the book’s print format. I was also obsessed with glow-in-the-dark and I still have my glow worm from back then.
My current neon journey probably began when my spouse slipped a neon bulb into my Christmas stocking one year. I started revisiting old paintings that incorporated neon and felt a spark of satisfaction seeing them glow with new life.
The first blacklight piece I intentionally created was in a workshop with Alison Watts. My color choices were definitely off from the recommended palette, but experimenting with neon in this way opened up exciting new possibilities.
As for glow-in-the-dark, I've experimented for years but often found pre-mixed glow paints disappointing. They barely glowed. Then, after using glow pigments in an epoxy house sign, I realized I could use these pigments to enhance my paints. At first, I only found glowing green, but eventually discovered a range of glowing pigments in other colors.
Intro: The lights and sounds.
I’ve always had a playful side (and a history of failed practical jokes). Many pieces from Lily and Flinge and the Piece of Kibble have hidden gems, so it only feels natural for my paintings to contain hidden, glowing layers that reveal surprises. I love imagining someone discovering an unexpected glow in a painting at night, not realizing it was there all along.
Through this work, my hope is to bring a little fun and spark some imagination in the viewer’s mind.
It’s hard to take yourself too seriously when working with neon and glow pigments, which makes this process incredibly freeing.
Each painting unfolds in layers, beginning with standard acrylics, followed by UV paints, and finally glow-in-the-dark pigments mixed with an acrylic medium. I mix all my colors myself, using only primary colours (or neon primaries), along with black and white.
Initially, I tried jumping straight into neon, but the results were often too intense—missing the depth that a bit of darkness brings. I love the mystery of different parts glowing, sometimes unpredictably, so you're never quite sure which areas will light up.