I'm Done. One Last Hurrah for This Vancouver Artist.

 I'm Done. One Last Hurrah for This Vancouver Artist.

1999–2026. That's a long time to keep showing up.

My first exhibition was in 1999 at Gallery Eleven Eleven in Vancouver. I was excited, ambitious, full of ideas and ready to share my work with the world.

More than 30 years later, I've painted murals, created collections, exhibited in galleries and cafés, sold paintings, participated in community projects and continued making art through some pretty challenging times.

I've never stopped creating.

But I think I'm finally done trying to make a living as an independent artist in Vancouver.

Vancouver loves to brag about how much funding and how many grants are available for the arts.

But let's look a little closer.

This latest announcement from the City is about grants for NON-PROFIT cultural spaces. Not grants directly into the hands of struggling independent artists.

And what about the actual artists? The people creating the paintings, murals, sculptures, music and cultural work?

The ones jumping through hoops, navigating applications, meeting eligibility requirements, competing for limited opportunities and trying to survive in one of Canada's most expensive cities?

I've been one of those artists for more than 30 years.

I've watched the system, participated in it, tried to find my place in it and kept pushing forward. Sometimes it feels as though the city has an endless supply of support for the organizations surrounding the arts, while the artists themselves are left scrambling for whatever crumbs remain.

The city vultures have had their fill. I'm tired of jumping through hoops, trying to prove my worth and fighting for a place at a table that doesn't seem to have much room for independent artists.

Hey kids, if you're working hard, creating, contributing and still struggling to get ahead, IT'S NOT YOU.

Maybe we need to stop measuring the success of Vancouver's arts funding by how many organizations receive grants and start asking how much meaningful support actually reaches the artists.

Supporting arts infrastructure is not the same as supporting artists.

I'd like to see Vancouver brag about that.

One last hurrah

This November, I'll be showing 20 paintings at Art Against Stigma, at Recovery Café, 620 Clark Drive, as part of the Eastside Culture Crawl's 30th anniversary.

November 19–22, 2026.

My collections Water Is Life and The Fire Next Time will be there.

It's a little bittersweet. My first exhibition was in 1999. This will be my last Vancouver exhibition.

I'm not saying I'll stop painting. That's probably impossible. Art is part of who I am.

But I'm giving up on trying to make this city work for me as an independent artist.

I'm 64. I've spent enough years struggling, hustling, trying to find opportunities and figuring out how to survive. I have other things I'd like to do with whatever time and energy I have left.

I'm going to Mexico.

Back to the ocean, the colours, the mornings, the warmth and a simpler way of living. I want to paint because I love painting, not because I'm constantly trying to figure out how to make it pay for my next meal.

I don't know exactly what comes next, but I know I need a change.

To everyone who has supported my work, bought a painting, shared a post, visited an exhibition or simply stopped to look at something I've created, thank you.

And to the young artists coming up behind me: keep creating. Don't let a funding system, a gatekeeper or an institution convince you that your work doesn't matter.

Sometimes walking away isn't giving up on your art.

Sometimes it's giving yourself permission to live.

Zipolita, signing off from Vancouver's art scene.

One last hurrah. ❤️

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