The Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley is thrilled to continue our Featured Artist Series, shining a spotlight on one of our remarkable local artists every two weeks. These profiles appear across our social media, website, and in the newspaper, celebrating the creativity thriving in our community.
This installment highlights Courtney Anderson, a visual artist, MPCC-Provisional Therapist, and homeschooling mother of two. At the heart of her creative practice is a belief she holds close: art is not about perfection, it is about play.
Courtney’s love of creating began early. Growing up as the youngest of six children, she watched her older siblings drawing constantly and felt the pull to follow. Creativity ran through both sides of her family, and she was fortunate to have her grandmother, who lived nearby, teach her the basics of painting a landscape layer by layer. Every art project and drawing exercise in school felt like a gift, and that enthusiasm only grew as she began experimenting with new mediums through high school art class and photography. Running through it all was a quiet sense of calling, a deep feeling that she was made to create and to add beauty to the world.
Her practice has taken her through acrylics, watercolour, chalk pastels, colouring, and drawing, with work ranging from commissioned pieces and originals to Christmas ornaments, fine art prints, and stationery. Most recently she has been falling in love with digital drawing. She dreams of one day illustrating a book, but for now she creates for the joy of it, without pressure or a need for a specific direction, simply to carve out quiet space in her mind.
Over years of painting, drawing, and exploring creative expression, Courtney discovered the quiet, settling effect that creativity and childlike playfulness can bring. It shows up in different ways: dancing to music with her daughters to let go of stress, writing to get her thoughts and feelings on paper, or pausing to notice the beauty in the people and places around her. Creativity has become central to how she moves through the world.
Her sources of inspiration are wonderfully close to home: her faith, her two daughters, their cat Sheba, her garden, her rock collection, baking, the book illustrations she finds at the library, and the ebb and flow of the changing seasons. Each one feeds a practice that is as much about noticing and being present as it is about the finished piece.
This same spirit carries into her professional life. As an MPCC-Provisional Therapist, Courtney weaves creativity into health and wellness, inviting both children and adults to use art as a support for their mental wellbeing.
When asked what she hopes her art evokes, Courtney shared that she wants viewers to feel joy, curiosity, and openness, a desire to explore beauty for themselves in the small moments of daily life. She hopes they sense the hope she carries, a hope that does not depend on being a perfect mom, wife, artist, or counsellor. Art, she says, is quietly powerful. It goes beyond simply stating what we think or feel; it shares those things through colour, movement, and the love behind the making. Creating offers a safe place to explore, ask questions, try new things, and make mistakes, learning to be gentler with ourselves along the way.
Courtney’s roots are in the Okanagan Valley, one of BC’s most celebrated regions, and she still makes the trip back every year. She left home to study at Bible College in Saskatchewan, and eventually married her best friend, Nori, settling in Alberta. Six years ago the family moved back to BC, and they could not be happier to call Port Alberni home.
When asked what advice she would give to emerging artists, Courtney shared:
“You have a creative gift, it’s uniquely yours and no one else’s. You were created with it, and while it is good to want to grow or be inspired by your favourite creators, I’d encourage you to honour and respect the work you naturally make, the natural style that is showing up. Create with kindness toward yourself that says: ‘Maybe I don’t love this piece and I want to try something different next time, but I created this, it’s completely me, and that is a gift, that is enough. I’m proud of my work, my growth, and the small way it shares who I am.'”
Courtney is based in Port Alberni, BC. To follow her work or learn more about her creative and therapeutic offerings, please reach out to info@alberniarts.com and we will relay the message.
Follow our social media, website, and check the newspaper every two weeks to discover the next incredible local artist in the Featured Artist Series!
