Connection Salon Newsletter - The Outsider

Issue 04 | September 07, 2026

Sep 08, 2026

Welcome to The Outsider, the bimonthly newsletter of the Connection Salon Artists Collective. We aim to create something lively, useful, and a little different—especially for artists working beyond the usual art-world spotlight.

Outsider art is both a practice and a movement. It includes artists—sometimes formally trained—who create despite systemic barriers or limited institutional recognition, even though their impact on contemporary art has been profound and too often overlooked.

In every issue we aim to spotlight an artist and an organization aligned with our mission to promote and empower underrepresented creators. You’ll also find a literary corner plus news about exhibitions, events, and workshops.

We’d love your feedback, tips on what to include in future editions and links to upcoming events.

THE ARTIST - MOLLIE CHAU

**Sunday Blue**, **coloured pencil on paper**

What brought you to the arts, and how would you describe your practice and your works?

I am Mollie Chau, a graphic artist. I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Canada in 1983. I hold an Art Degree from National Taiwan Normal University, as well as a Diploma in Applied Arts from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. I currently live in New Westminster, BC, Canada.

I worship the sun, the moon, and the clouds. Happy flowers, dolls, fish, and houses often appear in my work. I create my illustrations using coloured pencils.

I have lived with schizophrenia since my twenties. Art is like therapy to me. My process is to draw until I find my inner harmony and can express my true feelings. I am so grateful to have art in my life.

Throughout my life, I have experienced challenging times, including a period of ill health that lasted for a year. During that time, I drew to express my sadness and difficult feelings. Life can be fragile. I love my drawings, and I hope you can enjoy them too.

What advice would you have for other outsiders from your experience?

Practice more, try new things, open your heart, stay focused, and keep learning all the time.

BUILDING THE NETWORK - RECOVERY CAFÉ

**Bowie Tribute 2016, by Damian Murphy**

Tell us about yourself, how you came to do the work that you’re presently engaged in, and briefly about the organization.

The arts have always been a part of my life in one form or another. Singing, drawing, writing etc. I started painting in earnest without any formal training about thirty years ago and have continued ever since. To me the creation of art is a form of self-care, an opportunity to step back and outside myself and whatever is going on in my life and just focus on the subject at hand. The experience of losing time while working on a piece in my studio is a kind of meditation, a letting go and an embrace of everything and nothing.

I’ve never settled on one particular style or category though I do enjoy figurative art, abstracts and the occasional landscape. Often I will just paint whatever comes to mind in the moment. Or appears through the underlay unexpectedly. Other times I will use a photograph as a guide to get me started.

In my work as Manager at The Kettle Society’s Recovery Café I am fortunate to be able to incorporate art into my job. At the café we have a choir that sings together once a week. There is an art room filled with supplies where members of the café can just pick up a brush whenever they want or work on guided art with an art therapist. There is a music therapist who works with folks on exploring how music is a part of their lives. We host an exhibition, Art Against Stigma, every year as part of the eastside Culture Crawl where member artists can show and sell their work. Many are what are considered outsider artists.

Fusing my love of art with my professional career in mental health and addictions is a dream come true.

What advice or suggestions would you give to underrepresented artists?

Everyone has the ability to create art. Art can be made out of anything; found objects, pencil sketches on a paper bag, house paint on a wooden board. One just needs to make time to participate in the act of creation to understand. Whatever art you do does not need to be shared or seen by anyone other than yourself. Unless, of course, you want to show off your talent! Art for art’s sake is all that matters.

LITERARY CORNER - SANDRA YUEN

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

Summer
 
summer memories
warm the cockles of my heart
the best days
the best years
hours flew by in seconds
we danced like butterflies
fluttering out of the shadows
no one cared if we left
the door unlocked
 
we could eat what we wanted
without gaining an ounce
we made mistakes
laughed about them later
 
the first kiss
not the last
the prime of life
but come the fall
onset
diagnosis
weight of the world
 
yet we survive the avalanche
live through the winter
icicles still tickle our senses
and crocuses poke their heads
outside our window pane

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

Inside the Box

he messaged me
              your gift has arrived

I marched downtown
to meet him at a greasy spoon

a cup of hot tea
half an oatmeal cookie
then a box with a bow

inside
a white china mug
with a photo of my smiling face
printed on the side

I thanked him kindly
showed it proudly
on the bow of a yacht
on the wing of a 747
poolside at the Ritz Carlton

at the finest hotel
beside my eggs benedict
the chef prepared for me
with a heart on my latte

I’m a work in progress
a walking emergency
needing care and attention
like an unopened box from
Amazon marked FRAGILE

Credit:

COMMUNITY NEWS

In this section we want to share news, relevant information and projects from our community that resonate with our goal. We hope they will be of interest to you and and invite you to send us events that we can post.

Upcoming Events with Connection Salon at the Gathering Place Community Centre:

Gallery Exhibition