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Victoria artist to donate portion of driftwood sculpture sales to animal cause

Driftwood dog display in May at Victoria gallery raising cash for BC SPCA
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Artist Tanya Bub sits on a bench with her sculpture of a man she calls Arthur Heart, along with a small dog. Similar works will be on display at her Art for Good fundraiser exhibit at the Gage Gallery May 10 to 29. (Don Denton/Black Press Media)

A Victoria artist whose driftwood sculptures run the gamut from wildlife to domestic pets hopes to raise funds to help the region’s vulnerable animals.

Tanya Bub’s Champion for Animals fundraiser for the BC SPCA gives 25 per cent of sales from an exhibit at the Gage Gallery to help animals.

It’s the first third-party event since the start of the pandemic, according to Breanne Beckett, senior manager for the BC SPCA Victoria region.

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“We are so grateful to Tanya for her compassion and generosity, and we hope that this will be the first of many post-pandemic Champion for Animals events to help animals in the Victoria area,” she said.

Bub’s Art for Good exhibit is equal parts fundraiser, art and entertainment.

The idea came from seeing dogs react to her canine themed sculptures, she said in a statement. “They know it’s not real and yet some dogs have a very strong reaction to the art.”

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The delightful fact that some dogs like looking at art, just like people, made her want to do something for dogs.

The show features outdoor sculptures of dogs for both man and beast. People are encouraged to take and share photos of their dogs reacting to the art.

Indoors features a Dog Park display for human patrons to peruse 30 or so miniature sculptures, an Air Dog series with life-sized sculptures of dogs in action and life-sized driftwood portraits of hard-to-place dogs currently at the SPCA.

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The exhibit runs May 10 to 29 at the Gage Gallery in Bastion Square.

Opening night is May 12 from 5 to 8 p.m. and features a presentation by the SPCA, along with two rescue dogs, an Ask the Vet Anything session with Joanna Piercy and a presentation about a proposed Victoria dog park.

See Bub’s sculptures at tanyabub.myportfolio.com or on Instagram @victoriadrifter.

For more about the artist email tanyabub@gmail.com. To create a BC SPCA Champion for Animals fundraiser visit spca.bc.ca/ways-to-help.