Welcome.
Art has always known things that words cannot say.
This studio exists to give those things space.
River Run Art Studio is a place where creativity, healing, and connection flow together — a space designed for you to explore, express, and grow through the transformative power of art. The rivers that surround us in Pemberton — flowing, adaptive, and life-giving — inspire everything we do here.
Whether you're seeking art therapy to navigate grief, trauma, ADHD, or any of life's many transitions or complex emotions, or you're looking to nurture your creative spirit through art lessons or workshops, you'll find a warm and welcoming space where you can feel safe, seen, and supported.
Art therapy here is not about fixing or diagnosing. Rather, it's about bearing witness to your unique journey and walking alongside you as you discover your own strengths.
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses creative expression — drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and more — as a pathway to healing and self-discovery.
It's not about making 'good' art. It's about the process of creating as a way to explore emotions, process difficult experiences, and reconnect with your inner wisdom. Messy feelings often make for messy art — and that's perfectly okay.
You do not need any prior art experience or artistic skill. What matters is your willingness to engage with the process.
For more on what art therapy is and how it can help, visit the Canadian Art Therapy Association's overview at canadianarttherapy.org where they've also put together several downloadable brochures.
You do not need to be an artist. You just need to be willing.
Creativity takes courage.
— Henri Matisse —
Art Lessons & Workshops
Separate from art therapy, River Run Art Studio also offers art lessons and workshops for anyone who simply wants to explore their creativity, develop new skills, and experience the pure joy of making art. This is the LEARN at the heart of our studio — open to all ages, all levels, and all creative spirits.
From private lessons to small group workshops, sessions explore a range of media and techniques — oil pastels, watercolour, printmaking, collage, mixed media, and more. Whether you're a complete beginner picking up a brush for the first time, or an experienced maker looking to deepen your practice, there is a place for you here.
For high school students with dreams of art school, River Run also offers portfolio development — a focused, supportive program drawing on nearly 25 years of professional art education experience. Together we'll build a cohesive, compelling body of work that reflects your unique creative voice and meets the expectations of post-secondary art programs.
Whether you're here to play, to learn, or to grow — creativity is waiting for you.
How We Work Together
Whether you're here to heal, to learn, or simply to create, there is a place for you at River Run Art Studio.
CREATE
Individual Art Therapy
One-on-one sessions tailored to your unique needs; a confidential, compassionate space to explore a wide range of issues and emotions, and to discover new pathways toward healing.
LEARN
Art Lessons and Workshops
Separate from therapy, these sessions are open to anyone who wants to explore creativity, learn new techniques, or simply enjoy the freedom and joy of making art.
All experience levels welcome.
HEAL
Group Art Therapy
Small, supportive groups where creativity and community come together. Creating alongside others fosters connection, reduces isolation, and reminds us that we are not alone.
Rooted In Pemberton
River Run Art Studio is located in Pemberton, BC — nestled among the rivers, mountains, and forests of the Sea to Sky corridor. The Green, Birkenhead, and Lillooet Rivers are not just a backdrop to this work. They are its living teachers — flowing, adaptive, and generously present. They are the reason this studio is called River Run, and they are why Create. Learn. Heal. means what it means here.
River Run Art Studio sits on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Lil'wat and N'Quatqua Nations, both members of the St'át'imc Nation. I am grateful to live, work, create, and learn on this land, and I carry that gratitude as a responsibility that is always growing.
I am still arriving, and I am grateful.
— Angela Walsh Noble—
…we must brave the chaos, with its noise, with its craziness. If we do, we find it begins to make sense, and we come alive again. As artists, we have this task, to make this possible for people to perceive their world again and to make some sense of it.