CVAC, Cowichan Valley Arts Council
Connecting people to the arts and culture of the Cowichan Valley,

Previous
Artist Profiles

Judy Brayden
April 2012
Sandy Knowles
March 2012
Morgan Saddington
February 2012
Soleil Mannion
February 2012
Elaine Paull
December 2011
Charles Van Gorkom
December 2011
Linda Yurgensen
August 2011
Cara McCandless
April 2011
Adam Ball
March 2011
Ed Chan
February 2011
Daniel Gintowt
~ by Judy Brayden
December 2010
Neil Fatin
October 2010
Daniel Deschamps
July 2010
Betty Locke
~ by Rebecca Hazell
September 2009

Kaye Smillie
~ by Bernice Ramsdin-Firth
August 2009

Beverly Koski
~ by Gloria Lorenzen
July 2009

Naomi McLean
~ by Liz M. Forbes
June 2009

Eugene Jobagy
~ by Karen Allen
May 2009

Alison MacKenzie & Wayne Brown
~ by Bruce Whittington
April 2009

Glenn Spicer
~ by Kate Sutherland
March 2009

Barry Strasbourg-Thompson
~ by Tom Masters
February 2009

Jan Donaldson
~ by Gloria Lorenzen
December 2008

Misha Koslovsky
~ by Roxanne Strasbourg
November 2008

Peter Lawson
~ by Rebecca Hazell
October 2008

Harriet Hiemstra
~ by Kate Sutherland
September 2008

Sylvia Verity
~ by Sylvia Holt
August 2008

Cathi Jefferson
~ by Gloria Lorenzen
July 2008

Corry & Shakey Reay Suter
~ by Liz M. Forbes
June 2008

Rene Deerheart
~ by Gloria Lorenzen
May 2008

Neil Newton
~ by Bruce Whittington
April 2008

Doreen Tawse-Smith
~ by Rebecca Hazell
March 2008

Doug Dunbar
~ by Tom Masters
February 2008

Thomas Anderson
~ by Ron Greenaway
January 2008

Margitta Ben Oliel
~ by Liz Forbes
December 2007

Irma Livingstone
~ by Elizabeth Symon
November 2007

Linda Richter
~ by Longevity John Falkner
October 2007

Melanie Circle
~ by Yvette Stack
September 2007

Colleen Freeman
~ by Kate Sutherland
June 2007

Eva Trinczek
~ by Bruce Whittington
May 2007

Clare Singleton
~ by Lesley Hammocks
April 2007

Jane Wolters
~ by Tom Masters
March 2007

Bev Mountain
~ by Theo Gustafson
February 2007

Arne Day Bunyan
~ by Bernice Ramsdin-Firth
December 2006

Ellie Hallman
~ by Theo Gustafson
November 2006

Desmond Pratt
~ by Dorothy Jeanne Engst
October 2006

Sonia and Angus Galbraith
~ by Bev Mountain
September 2006

Rosemary Darville
~ by Liz M. Forbes
August 2006

Susan Kelly
~ by Lesley Hammocks
July 2006

Josie Bennett Cowan
~ by Dorothy Jeanne Engst
June 2006

Jean Christie Williams
~ by Lesley Hammocks
May 2006

Soleil Mannion

 Profile of an Artist
Profile of an Artist
Soleil Mannion
Soleil Mannion
Born in the Netherlands, Soleil Mannion's formative years were defined by living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her travels through the dramatic landscapes and seascapes of the Pacific coast awakened her artistic insight and personal aesthetic.

In 1991, Soleil moved to London, England to engage in multidisciplinary art studies, in drama, dance, and costume design. The vibrant palettes of the African and South Asian cultures surrounding her London neighbourhood stimulated her sense of creative design and further provoked her ongoing personal fascination with the magical interaction of colours with form.
Icarus Before Flight by Soleil Mannion
Icarus Before Flight by Soleil Mannion
As she went on to work and teach in acting and costume design, she refined her sensitivity to lighting and spatial dimension, elements which play central roles in her paintings and mixed-media works ever since.

While overseas, Soleil travelled through Europe, cultivating openness to aesthetic discoveries along the way. One year in the Netherlands inspired an increasing love of open spaces for their aesthetic possibilities an meanings, and also their emotional potential. Two years in Greece and Italy rewarded her with a sharp sense of the various powers of warm light and subtle colour.

In 2003, Soleil moved to Vancouver Island and completed fine art studies at Vancouver Island University. Her cross-disciplinary creative history informs her painting style: the freeing gestures of dance and dramatic arts are present in her paintings. Soleil is an artist who seeks to call forth and initial feeling response with her work, which can soften armour and open doors to imaginative thinking engagement with art.

Soleil began mounting solo exhibitions in 2005. Her work can be viewed at Sooke Harbour House, near Victoria, British Columbia and at Alderlea Farm Cafe, in Glenora.

Early Morning by Soleil Mannion
Early Morning by Soleil Mannion