Vancouver artist & studio owner Donna Giraud launches solo show inspired by pandemic positivity

Artist Donna Giraud finds inspiration for her art in her physical surroundings – usually the west coast water & mountains of British Columbia. Impacted like many by the coronavirus pandemic, Donna felt compelled to pivot her artistic approach, as well as her method for sharing it, to better reflect the current shared environment & circumstances of many across the globe.

Created in the midst of quarantine, Donna’s new solo show “Together Is Always Better” is a direct response to the pandemic & the impacts it has had. Based on the belief that “we all have COVID-19 in common,” the show challenges people to set their differences aside, identify shared experiences of the pandemic & walk away with the understanding that moving forward together will make us stronger.

For the formal debut on September 12, Donna invited 42 guests to view the show at her Yaletown gallery, The Space. Sectioning off each piece of artwork with white sheets, Donna allowed only two guests to enter per time slot and her team enforced proper social distancing guidelines. 

Wishing to make her show available to people all over the globe, a virtual walk-through of the show is now available, along with photos & descriptions of each of the show’s eight original pieces, two of which have already sold. Donna ships her work across North America, and people can view the show for free on her website: www.donnagiraudart.com.

“Never has there been an event in history the whole world has experienced together on this level,” Donna Giraud. “Everyone can relate. Everyone has a story and a million emotions tied to this moment in time and I didn’t want this profound commonality to go unnoticed or under-appreciated.”

Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Donna Giraud specializes in large-scale, textural abstract paintings inspired by her love of travel and the surrounding west coast water and mountains. Formally trained as a nurse, Donna discovered art as a vehicle to express messages of optimism & hope through her unique style combining texture and composition.

Over the last 20 years, Donna’s work has graced the walls of residential and corporate spaces across North America, and she has collaborated with galleries in New York City and Palm Springs. Currently, Donna works out of her hometown of Vancouver, and she helps run The Space art gallery in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighborhood as part-owner.