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Olive Chan 🇨🇦 | Painter of skies and light

@olivechanart

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Restful paintings of skies and light
Autistic ♾️ + Puzzler 🧩
🇨🇦 On unceded kʷikʷəƛ̓əm lands (Port Coquitlam, BC)

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✨INTRO POST! ✨Hello! It’s my birthday today so I figured this would be a good day to share a bit about me. It’s been a while since I introduced myself and thanks to a recent viral puzzle video, there are many new faces here. (Welcome!!)Things about me:☁️ I love clouds; I love staring at clouds, learning about clouds, taking photos of clouds, collecting photos of clouds, and painting clouds☁️ Growing up as an undiagnosed autistic girl, looking at the sky gave me peace (it still does)☁️ I try to convey peacefulness in my art because I know we all need more restful moments☁️ I have always enjoyed art but didn’t take it seriously until the beginning of 2020☁️ I have a hypersensitive nose; I will often smell my paintbrushes to see if I’ve cleaned them well enough ☁️ Books bring me joy; my kids currently have me hooked on The Keeper of the Lost Cities series☁️ I love a challenging jigsaw puzzle, it makes me feel alive when my brain works hard to find patterns☁️ I enjoy writing and send out a monthly email with an art story to my subscribers; each story also comes with some reflection questions (link in my bio if you want to get on my list!)☁️ I am currently recovering from surgery and really miss painting; I’m also a bit scared I’ll be rusty!Your turn! Drop a comment and tell me how we are alike or different. Or, just say hi! It would make this birthday girl happy! 🥳Thanks for being here!Looking up with you,Olive ☁️ #candianartist #actuallyautistic #birthdaypost #skylovers #skypainter by @olivechanart

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3 months ago

Hi friends, just letting you know that my webshop and commissions will be closed from Saturday, March 7, 2026 until the fall. I have a minor surgery coming up (not serious, don’t worry) and it will require that I focus on resting while I recover.If you want to get any cards or paintings this week, you can find them at olivechanart.com. Your purchases mean I can worry less about missed income while I mend. So, thank you!Thanks for sticking with me through the ups and downs. I look forward to being well and ready to serve you again soon! Let’s keep looking up,Olive by @olivechanart

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5 months ago

Ok friends, here it is - the large canvas I was working on over my summer Sabbatical!.“Irresistible Grace”36”x60”Acrylic on canvas (Swipe to see detail photos as well as the reference pic).This piece carries deep meaning for me as I completed it while I was away by myself for one week. The process of detaching myself from my dependence on being online and with people mirrored the process of creating this painting. First it was manageable, then it got brutally hard, but then the outcome was sweet and rewarding. .I titled it “Irresistible Grace” to remind me of my experience of God’s grace pursuing me - both the relentlessness and vastness of it. The way the light dances on the waves pulls me in, just like grace pulls me in toward Divine love. .This image is also meaningful because it depicts a moment from our family vacation this summer where the four of us went sunset chasing at the beach near where we were staying..Painting this took 18 hours. You can see the time lapse of the whole process in my Stories Highlights..It is the largest canvas I’ve painted and I will be keeping it for myself. However, it will be on display as part of an art show in Feb 2022!.Thanks for your encouragement as I created this! Would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share as well!............#magicalsunset #relaxingart #sabbaticallife #keeppainting #seascape #vancouverislandart #frenchbeachbc #contemporarylandscape #canadianartist #bcartist #yvrart #womenartist #contemporaryrealism #paintinglight #grace #inspiredbynature#naturespalette#calledtocreate#canadianpainter#naturetherapy #sharewithgolden #creativityexplode#allshemakes #canadianartdaily #meaningfulart #olivechanart by @olivechanart

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5 years ago

I need your help! I’m planning for the 2027 Calendar and it’s going to be (to borrow from Taylor Swift) an “Eras” edition, featuring favourites from past collections. Don’t worry, the calendar will have some new pieces too!Comment your faves below or vote using the link in my bio. The winners will make it into next year’s calendar.Voting closes on Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 11:59pm.Thanks for voting, friends! Can’t wait to share the 2027 Art (+ Scripture) Calendars with you!Looking up together,Olive ☁️ by @olivechanart

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4 days ago

“Linger in the Light”12”x12”x1.5”Acrylic on gallery canvas(Sold)The reference photo for this painting was from a summer evening with my family at French Beach on Vancouver Island. In real life, we are advised to never look at the sun. But in painting form, we can stare for as long as we want. This piece is an invitation to bathe in the sun’s rays and feel its warmth on our skin. It’s the insistence that there is always light, even when things feel dark. Sunrises and sunsets can look quite similar, so even though this piece was inspired by a sunset moment, it could just as well represent the dawning of a new day.This piece will be going to dear friends of ours who are walking through late stage leukemia. That they chose to get “Linger in the Light” moves me deeply. 💛 by @olivechanart

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a year ago

My second piece for the @squarefootshow 💙“In a Reflective Mood”12”x12” acrylic on deep canvas©2025 Olive ChanThis was inspired by my friend @bergziege.max ‘s photo. Max is the owner and designer/engineer for @nordwerkdesign and makes super cool things out of cardboard (go check it out!). He also shares a love for skies and graciously let me reference his photo. The title of this piece is a nod to Port Moody, where this photo was taken. This will be available via @squarefootshow on March 13 at 8pm EST (5pm PST)!#squarefootshow #canadianart #landscapepainting #acrylicpainting #skypainting by @olivechanart

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a year ago

“Remember to Breathe”12”x12”x1.5”Acrylic on gallery canvas(Sold)This piece is inspired by a beautiful moment on Pender Island, BC during our very first vacation as a family of four. Whenever I see a beautiful sky, it can’t help but stop what I’m doing and be present. My breathing slows down and I let awe and delight wash over me. I recently read these words that made me remember the importance of the paintings I do. Author Ethan Kross, in his book, Chatter: The Voice in Our Heads and Why it Matters, observes, “When you’re in the presence of something vast and indescribable, it’s hard to maintain the view that you and the voice in your head are the center of the world.”This painting is an invitation to pause our busyness, to look up, and to remember to breathe. by @olivechanart

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a year ago

Excited to finally be able to share this piece! “Haven”30”x60”Acrylic on deep canvasI’m happy to say that this very special painting has made it to its home in Toronto. 🥳This statement piece was over a year in the making from initial discussion to completion and it was such a pleasure to work with my friend Corrine to bring her vision to reality. “Haven” is based on a photo that Corrine took at her cottage in Ontario and was designed especially for her living room in her home. Corrine and I have known each other since high school and it was such an honour to paint this for her. I named it “Haven,” as a reflection of how her cottage is her haven, and also because I hope that the painting itself would be an invitation to restfulness whenever she sees it. To ship such a large piece, I removed the canvas from the wooden stretcher bars, rolled it up, and mailed it to a framer in Toronto who then re-stretched the canvas. A big thank you to Peter at @borderedimage for taking quality care of my work and for making my painting hangable again! I loved this piece so much I had professional photos taken of it by @kamran.safari.visual before I shipped it off (you can see the difference in colour nuances between my own photo in the first slide and his photo in the second slide). If you’re a local artist who is looking for a fantastic photographer, contact Kamran! Thank you, Corrine, for choosing me to create this for you. I hope it always reminds you that you are special and loved! I’m really pleased and proud of this piece. If you like it too and feel so inclined, it would be wonderful if you left a comment or shared this post. Thank you! 🥰#canadianartist #canadianart #ontariolandscapes #georgianbay #bcartist #canadianartdaily #canadiansmallbusiness by @olivechanart

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2 years ago

Delivered this beauty to @coastal.dental today!!When we first saw @drisaactam 7 years ago, our daughter had a rather complex dental situation going on. Not only was Dr. Isaac able to address all the issues, he did it with such kindness, patience, and generosity. I painted this for Dr. Isaac and his wife, Diana (it was a surprise for her - swipe for video of them unwrapping the painting!) based on my cousin Sandra’s photo from Maui (Thank you @sandy.chappell !!). It was completed earlier this year but I wasn’t able to deliver it until today. What an honour to be able to hang it on the wall of their North Vancouver clinic this afternoon! (I was told that anyone is welcome to pop by to view my painting there - no appointment necessary. 😄)I had always hoped my art could bring beauty and peace to medical settings (don’t you think it’s a good fit?) and I’m so grateful this dream could come true today. If you know of any medical offices or clinics that could benefit from peaceful sky paintings, send them my way! (Bonus: Art is tax deductible for businesses in Canada 😉). Thanks again, Dr. Isaac Tam and the team at Coastal Dental Specialists, for your excellent care for our kids. I hope this painting can bring many moments of peace to you and your patients!“Feeling Calm”24”x36” acrylic on gallery canvas Private Collection#artforyouroffice #calmingart #canadianart by @olivechanart

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25 days ago

In memory of my aunt. I painted this piece for my aunt back in 2023. Titled, “晨曦 - Morning’s Light,” it was meant to bring some beauty and inspiration to her otherwise drab room in her long-term care home. It has kept her company for the last 2.5 years and now she no longer needs it. I received word that 姑媽 (goo ma) died yesterday in the wee hours of the morning. Although we were not particularly close - owing to language barriers - she was always a beautiful and joyful presence. Being the oldest sister of my dad (who passed almost seven years ago), losing her feels like losing another tether to him. Today would have been my parents’ 49th anniversary as well. These are the various layers of personal grief on top of the recent grief in our country and also in the world. And yet beauty remains. People ask me why I paint skies and scenery. I paint them because my own heart knows the healing that can come from looking at beauty. And my own heart needs the balm today. However your heart may be, I hope this sunrise can bring you comfort too. “晨曦 - Morning’s Light”8”x10”Acrylic on repurposed canvasThanks for being here. Let’s keep looking up together. ☁️ by @olivechanart

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5 months ago

I knew I had to paint this the second I saw the photo my daughter had taken. The dramatic lights and darks were so different from my usual gentle sunsets, it felt like both an invitation and a challenge. The title, “Chasing Presence,” came to me as I was looking at it hanging in our living room one day. I liked the feeling of immediacy this piece gave me and how it urged me to be completely present in the moment. Like when I’m staring at the sky on a crisp spring day. From the responses I’ve heard so far, this piece evokes something in many of you, too! Multiple people said it reminded them of Renaissance art. What comes up for you when you look at this piece?“Chasing Presence”24”x36”Acrylic on gallery canvas$2200 CAD - available by @olivechanart

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8 months ago

Oh dear, I’m rusty! 😂 I’d wanted to do this video before my show, “Have You Looked Up Lately?” but ran out of time then. Now that the painting is back in my home, I took advantage of the break in the rain and did the video. Except I’m obviously out of practice. “Let Gentleness Enfold You” is an invitation to relax into the calm softness of these clouds. It is available for adoption if you want this portal of peace for your space.“Let Gentleness Enfold You”24”x36”Acrylic on gallery canvas$2200 CADDM me for more info by @olivechanart

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8 months ago