Biography & Artist Statement

My interest in painting & drawing started as a young child.

I cannot remember a time when I did not draw.

My first paintings were landscapes. (These paintings were simple blocks of colour done with a palette knife.) 

The first 10 years of my life were spent in Exshaw, Alberta.

I moved to Edmonton, Alberta with my family in 1938.

Following graduation from High School I entered the Royal Alexandra School of nursing (Edmonton)

I graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1950 (class 50-1).

I married & had 3 children.  I now have 5 grandchildren.

I nursed in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.

Practical considerations took top priority in the life of a young wife and mother.

I continued to paint & draw when I had time.

I would often stay after shifts to visit with patients. During these visits I would draw them.

It was a visitor for them and a model for me. 

In 1987 I left nursing to pursue my interest in art full time.

I still visit and draw residents in the long care unit in our local hospital.

They receive a copy of the drawing on my next visit to the unit (I try to go weekly).

The originals are posted in the unit & remain the property of the hospital.

I have no formal art education.  I read, visit museums & galleries, paint with & share ideas with other artists.

I like to experiment with different mediums.

My art has brought me lifelong friendships.

I have found interesting things to record at home & during travels to the Arctic, most Canadian provinces, India, Liberia, & the United States.

It is my hope that my art brings pleasure to others

Shirley Chinneck