20 Years and Beyond – Extracting the Essence – opened last Friday night at the Vancouver Arts Centre, showcasing the work of 25 artists in diverse forms and media.

The exhibition also signalled the official start of the Southern Art and Craft Trail.

The talents of artists throughout the region are on display at 67 trail venues until October 12.

Of those venues, 34 are new to the trail, including the York Street Cafe where artist Catherine Gordon opened her Two Worlds exhibition last Wednesday.

Her abstract paintings focus on the reflections found in the surfaces of ponds, lakes and inlets found in picturesque spots around Perth, Albany and Denmark.

The ever-changing beauty of water ripples reflects the world to the viewer in a different form.