Martin Honisch (1942-2026) is a Canadian painter whose work blends realism, surrealism, and the quietly fantastical. Born in Europe and emigrating to Canada in 1957, Honisch studied at the University of British Columbia from 1962–1967, earning a Bachelor of Education with a double major in art. A World University Service scholarship then brought him to the University of Hamburg, where he immersed himself in European art history and museum culture—a formative experience that shaped his mature artistic voice.

After travelling around the world in 1967–68, Honisch worked as an art teacher throughout British Columbia before transitioning to full-time painting in 1982. He has lived and worked in Chemainus, BC ever since. During his teaching years he completed a Master of Education degree (art major) at Western Washington University, attending summers between 1973–1981.

Honisch’s paintings occupy a unique space between memory and imagination. He rejects “mere arrangements of shapes and colours” and dismisses modernist trends and non-objective art as passing fads. Instead, he positions himself within a long lineage of artists drawn to the fantastic, the enigmatic, and the wondrous—qualities he considers to be at the very root of all art. His work encompasses dreamlike landscapes, nostalgic European gardens, tropical scenes, domestic interiors, and ships at sea under many shifting skies. These images evoke what he calls “pleasant dreams,” often skirting the surreal while maintaining emotional clarity.

His exhibition history is extensive, with solo shows at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Winchester Galleries, Bau-Xi Gallery (Vancouver & Toronto), Nanaimo Art Gallery, Davidson Galleries (Seattle), and the World Bank in Washington, DC, among many others. Group exhibitions include the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, Surrey Art Gallery, and numerous Canadian galleries.

Today, Honisch remains a prolific painter, creating works that bridge reality and reverie, celebrating the inherent strangeness and wonder of the world.

“I paint what I like. My paintings are pleasant dreams—sometimes nostalgic, often enigmatic. I have never found non-objective art compelling; the fantastic, the bizarre, and the wonderful are the true roots of art. Life itself is inherently strange, and my work reflects that quiet, enduring wonder.”

Biographical summary

1982-present full-time artist living in Chemainus, BC

1981-82 art teacher, Ladysmith, BC

1981 Master of Education Degree, art major, WWU

1973-1981 art teacher, Kitimat, BC; summer semesters attendance of Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington

1969-1972 full-time artist

1968-1969 art teacher, Burnaby, BC

1967-1968 trip around the world

1967 Bachelor of Education (secondary) degree, double art major, UBC

1964-1965 World University Service scholarship to attend University of Hamburg, Germany

1962-1967 teacher training at University of BC

1957 emigration to Canada

1942 born in Europe

Solo Exhibitions

2004 Simon Patrich Gallery, Vancouver

2003 Simon Patrich Gallery, Vancouver

2000 Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo, BC

Simon Patrich Gallery, Vancouver

1999 1999 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC 2000

1997 Winchester Galleries, Victoria, BC Victoria Conference Center, Victoria, BC,
Davidson Galleries, Seattle, Wash.

1996 Vanderleelie Gallery, Edmonton, Alb.

1995 Vanderleelie Gallery, Edmonton, Alb. OAS Gallery, Washington, DC, feature artist, Canada Week

1994 Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto, Ont. Winchester Galleries, Victoria, BC

1993 Davidson Galleries, Seattle, Wash. Simon Fraser Gallery, Burnaby, BC

1992 Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC

1991 Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto, Ont. Davidson Galleries, Seattle, Wash.

1990 Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo, BC Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond, BC Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC

1989 Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC

1988 Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto, Ont.

1987 Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto, Ont. Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC Winchester Galleries, Victoria, BC

1986 World Bank, Washington, DC

1985 Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC

Jackson Street Gallery, Seattle, Wash.

retrospective Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC

retrospective Madrona Exposition Center, Nanaimo, BC

Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto, Ont.

1984 Rainbow Gallery, Duncan, BC

McPherson Library Gallery, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

Winchester Galleries, Victoria, BC

1983 Rainbow Gallery, Duncan, BC Stones Gallery, Victoria, BC Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC

1972 Mary Frazee Gallery, Vancouver, BC


Group Exhibitions

1999 Simon Patrich Gallery, Vancouver

(Melmoth Group)

1997 Art Rental Gallery, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, BC

1996 Winchester Galleries, Victoria, BC

(with Diana Dean and Lori-Ann Latremouille)

1995 Simon Fraser University Gallery, Burnaby, BC

1993 Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo,

BC Canadian Embassy, Washington, DC

Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC

1992 Art Fair Seattle and Art Fair Los Angeles, California

1990 Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC

Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto, Ont.

Robert Allman Gallery, Seattle, Wash.

1989 Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond, BC

1987 Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC

1985 Cowichan Valley Community Center, Duncan, BC

1984 "Bank Show 1984", Victoria, BC

Backdoor Gallery, Courtenay, BC

Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC

E = mc2 Gallery, Vancouver, BC

North Park Gallery, Victoria, BC

1983 Backroom Gallery, Victoria, BC

1980 R.E.M. Lee Theatre, Terrace, BC

Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC

1977 Kitimat Art Gallery, Kitimat, BC

Kitimat Mall, Kitimat, BC