Keystone: At Ladysmith Gallery

A collaboration of two artists: Ashley Gabouri and Melissa McLean

March 20th – 29th, 2026

A keystone is the wedged stone at the crown of an arch, the piece that holds everything else in place. From March 20-29, 2026 at the Ladysmith Gallery, artists Ashley Gaboury & Larissa McLean invite visitors to look to the living keystones of our ecosystems: the species, places, and quiet details that sustain entire environments.

From the coastal wolves of Nootka Sound to the Rockies, the old growth forests of Carmanah and Big Tree Maples where ravens call, to the mushrooms of Deerholme rising from the forest floor, the salmon rich waters of the Great Bear Rainforest, to the pristine ocean waters, these are the presences we observe, absorb, and carry with us.

The artwork presented in this exhibition tells the stories of these beings and the environments they uphold, while asking viewers, how art can become a doorway that reconnects people to these remarkable places. These subjects are not only symbols but active participants in the balance of their ecosystems, reminding us how intricately life is woven together across land, forest, and sea.

Focusing on the theme of collaboration, artists Ashley Gaboury and Larissa McLean have embodied that theme into how the work has been created for this exhibition. Works in this exhibition begin independently by laying down backgrounds, colour, and texture. They are then exchanged between them, where they each respond by building upon each other’s marks. As long-time art educators with complementary practices, they allow material, surface, and intuition to guide the layers that unfold, reflecting the keystone itself, distinct parts working in relationship to create strength, balance, and wholeness within a larger system.

This exhibition runs from March 20 – 29, 10 AM – 4 PM daily at the Ladysmith Gallery – Unit 7 -32 High Street, Ladysmith BC. Meet the artists for a art preview on Saturday March 21 and enjoy light refreshments as you enjoy the show. 

Meet The Artists

Ashley Gaboury is a mixed media artist and illustrator who specializes in finely descriptive animal and portrait work. She has been teaching art to youth and adults for over 25 years and her clear instruction and demonstration of technique has been transformative for many of her students. She works closely with The Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary and her art has featured several of the rescued animals from the facility. She has a special relationship with canine/lupine animals, and her renditions of these beautiful creatures carries a deep weight of emotion. Ashley has devoted her life to art and art education, and her passion for her work and for teaching is evident in everything that she does.

Larissa McLean has been both a practicing artist and an art teacher for over 25 years. She graduated from the Alberta College of Art with a BFA and a BeD from The University of British Columbia. Larissa merges her love for nature and connection to flowers and plants with permaculture principles on her half acre property, where she experiments with using plants and flowers in her practice. She has a personal connection to old-growth trees, often naming them and giving them stories to tell. She likes to listen, and notices the tiniest details around her. You can often find her working at Anderton Nursery in the Perennial Section or teaching community run art at Lake Trail School. People have also said she is a mermaid, you can often find her swimming in Comox Lake or surrounded by water, this is also present in her paintings with the flow of energy.

Larissa is a mixed-media painter that experiments with printmaking techniques in her work. She has experience teaching all ages in, drawing and painting, collage, felting, and gardening in her studio, PassionStems at “The Mill”. Her colorful, layered paintings have depth and soft glowing glazes that pull the viewer in. She wants to tell visual stories of the earth, and of her personal connections to nature and her gardens.