Beauty from turmoil

Exchange District

She’s baaack.

An art exhibit called Soulful Seasons: Transitions of Change, slated to run from March 6 to April 4 at 210 Gallery will transform the wall space with a series of colourful, abstract landscapes depicting a broad range of different emotions.

The multi-media, semi-abstract art — layered with different inks and paints — will seem familiar to many in the local art community. And it should be, as this will be the first show by artist and curator Jordan Miller since she closed Cre8ery Gallery almost a year ago.

The inspiration behind Soulful Seasons is closely entangled with the personal gravity of that change. Miller had run the space for 23 years, so its end was a significant milestone.

In addition, her chronic illness — one of many factors which led to Cre8ery’s closure — made things difficult.

“I was having a hard time with everything, I couldn’t breathe,” Miller said, referring to the sinus disease she has endured for years. Her condition was exasperated by last summer’s wildfire smoke, to the point that basic tasks like walking up the stairs, drinking a glass of water, and tending to her garden became nearly impossible.

In November 2025, however, a “miracle medication” flipped everything on its head. In her artist’s statement for the upcoming show, she wrote that Dupixent, an injection most commonly used to prevent asthma attacks, had “ literally given me the ability to breathe.”

After starting on the medication, Miller was able to complete 20 pieces over two weeks: “I was on fire.”

Miller’s paintings are typically landscapes, even if they’re atypical. The art isn’t planned — there’s no initial sketch or guiding lines — and often reflect how she was feeling, emotionally and physically, when the work was created.

“My pieces have their own mood, (their) own personalities,” she said, adding that one process she leans into often is the act of adding and scraping back ink, so that viewers can still see the “outer shell” once the work is complete.

“The turmoil naturally comes out in my art,” she said. “But (it’s) still kind of pretty, and something someone can put on their wall.”

The ‘seasons’ of this show are largely based on the warmer months, rather than winter, especially given the fact that Miller was unwell at the time of making them. For her, fall signifies the “death of winter to come,” while spring serves as a time of rejuvenation and rebirth in the lead-up to summer.

Although Miller’s work is abstract, each dot is thoughtful: “A process that bridges the visual and the introspective,” she said.

Showing her work outside Cre8ery feels a little to Miller, who said she “enjoyed the protection of the hive,” in her old gallery space, which offered two-week shows to artists from all across Winnipeg and Manitoba.

“The thing I miss most about having Cre8ery is seeing people enjoy art,” she said. “I just felt the joy of being there, supporting the artists. It’s the people I miss.”

Located at 210 Princess St., 210 Gallery is operated by the Manitoba Arts Network and showcases the work of artists from rural and northern Manitoba. Miller lives north the city and credits the gallery with allowing her creative freedom when planning the show.

All the pieces in Soulful Seasons will be for sale, and Miller said she deliberately made them smaller than average so they’ll be affordable. She will be on hand to speak to visitors on the two First Fridays in the Exchange during the show’s run, on March 6 — opening day — and April 3.

To view more of Miller’s work, visit her on Instagram at @jordanmillerartist or @shopartmb.

To keep up with 210 Gallery, visit 210gallery.ca